For all of us old Vietnam protestors (yes, that means me), here’s something worth fighting for again – freedom of speech! And Hitchens will lead us:
The incredible thing about the ongoing Kristallnacht against Denmark (and in some places, against the embassies and citizens of any Scandinavian or even European Union nation) is that it has resulted in, not opprobrium for the religion that perpetrates and excuses it, but increased respectability! A small democratic country with an open society, a system of confessional pluralism, and a free press has been subjected to a fantastic, incredible, organized campaign of lies and hatred and violence, extending to one of the gravest imaginable breaches of international law and civility: the violation of diplomatic immunity. And nobody in authority can be found to state the obvious and the necessary-that we stand with the Danes against this defamation and blackmail and sabotage. Instead, all compassion and concern is apparently to be expended upon those who lit the powder trail, and who yell and scream for joy as the embassies of democracies are put to the torch in the capital cities of miserable, fly-blown dictatorships. Let’s be sure we haven’t hurt the vandals’ feelings.
Hitch is calling for a demonstration of support in front of the Danish Embassy in Washington. I’ll sing “Solidarity Forever” again for this one.
MORE: These Muslim journalists are worth our support too.
Have you ever seen the Left protest the treatment of women and gays by Muslims? Then why would you expect them to protest their attack on free speech? The Left will make very good dhimmis.
The problem for Hitchens, and for the rest of us, is that we’re all preaching to the choir. The Left won’t get it from the Hitch, or from Roger, because what isn’t read is ineffectual.
“Hitch is calling for a demonstration of support in front of the Danish Embassy in Washington.” Why not meet at the Syrian Embassy and burn it down instead. Why do these Islamic totalitarian countries think its alright to burn Embassies down, the only one kidded here is Jimmy Carter. These mobs are controlled by the fascist regimes in power and there would be no mobs if it wasn’t so ordered. Embassies are supposed to be considered a part of the sovereign country of which they represent, a safe haven in time of war and disturbance but after Jimmy Carter’s craven obeisance to the Ayatollahs in Teheran, that’s all changed. After Carter licked their boots, a lot of things changed.
what i don’t get is the solumn refusal by our press and government to assert, defend, and practice freedom of speech. did that right just evaporate overnight? what happened? are we now all held hostage in our communications and thought processes to the threat of millions of militant moslems rising in violence if we offend their delicate sensibilities in a teensy tiny way?
the mantra of cartoonists, declared by pulitzer-prize-winning steve benson is: “journalists cover the battle–cartoonists shoot the wounded.” or should he now whisper, “never mind”???
why kneel in fealty to those who behead humans on camera, blow up shoppers, and slaughter neighbors? frankly, i think our editors, writers, diplomats, and politicos are scared. no tom paine or emile zola for them. the politically correct as fraidy cats.
that’s why i love christopher hitchens. i read his website, slate, and vanity fair. he’s a brilliant writer, well-traveled in the world, and a happy warrior battling with ideas and words on camera. he doesn’t back down. he fights. he prints.
what can we do, those of us not in nyc, la, dc, to rally around denmark?
You can also buy Danish beer and other products. It’s the least that we can do. Most of us simply can’t afford to fly to Washington, DC, for the protest—but spending a few dollars on imports from Denmark is within reason.
Practical question: How do with do this (the Hitchens demo) with maximum impact?
We need at least several thousand demonstrators to obtain any converage from the legacy media. There are certainly 100,000 people within driving distance from downtown DC who would be happy to stand with Denmark if they knew about the event.
How do we reach them effectively? Blogs, obviously, but what else?
Ideas?
Just to bring some perspective into focus:
“Norway’s largest newspaper prints cartoon comparing Israel to Auschwitz, but won’t print Muhammad cartoons”
http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/010349.php
Problem is, most of the people here have jobs – and lives.
The islamo-mobs don’t.
Even is the demo at the Danish Embassy in DC is on a Saturday (don’t know if it is or not), I can’t go. From where I live, that would be an all-day trip. I worked all of last Saturday, and will be working/traveling most of this one.
Love to do it, though. I’d do my best to show up for something in my hometown.
Problem is, most of the people here have jobs… The islamo-mobs don’t.
Grandpa always said something about idle hands.
If you are not near the Danish Embasy, nor have the opportunity to go there, just call one of their consulates, or send something by snail mail. I did and the nice Danish woman on the phone was a dear.
The problem is that quite some time ago the terrorists learned the dirty little secret of modern-day Western societies, especially European ones: terrorism, brutality, and intimidation win friends and influence people among those who are suffused with guilt and multicultural moral relativistic “tolerance”.
I believe the turning point in this lesson came during the 1972 Olympics, with the massacre of the Israeli athletes. Instead of backfiring on the Palestinian cause, it seemed to enhance it.
So the Palestinians and the Islamicists learned that intimidation and brutality pay.