The Newsweek diversion

Leave it to the people who opine for a living to get out in (cyber)print what I'd been thinking but hadn't had the time to post.

Namely, that the whole "Blame Newsweek" for the riots in Afghanistan completely, and probably intentionally, misses the point. For once, I somewhat agree with the leftists -- Newsweek is not to blame for the riots that left people dead. Where I depart from such agreement is that neither is President Bush to blame. For examples of that, see here, here, and here.

First, and not to put too fine a point on it, the media scandal is another example of media bias against a president they (collectively) have it in for. The Koran-flushing story was one that, like the Bush-TANG story of last summer, was simply "too good to check out." As a former reporter, I know that such a mindset exists. A reporter wants a story to be true so badly that he doesn't check it out as thoroughly as he might for fear that the story might fall apart on him. The national, elite media will look for any port in a storm to denigrate President Bush, his foreign policy, and the military.

But lost in all this is who are and is really to blame for the riot deaths: The rioters themselves and the radical, militant brand of Islam that fuels it.

There has been a hundred pounds of absolute silence of any kind of condemnation, either by official Washington or the liberal press corps, of the Islam that permits, nay, encourages this kind of criminal behaviour. I remember after 9-11 how we as Americans were roundly charged to not castigate Islam for the actions of the evil men that flew planes into buildings. The CAIR types all went on the air to remind us that the killers didn't represent all Islam. That's as maybe. But now, we've been pistol-whipped into believing that we shouldn't do anything that might upset Muslims. I swear, Muslims must be more delicate and sentitive to offense than liberals, and that's saying something.

Why should the Koran get better treatment than Christian symbols? You could take the Bible into the town square, tear it up page by page and tread all over it, and there wouldn't be riots and death in the streets. You can take a crucifix, dunk it in a glass of human waste and you'll get a government arts grant for it. Again, no riots and death. Yet, there mere thought of a Koran even near a toilet facility is enough to send people to their deaths. What's wrong with this picture?

I'm tired of coddling Muslims. It's time for them to grow the hell up. And James Zogby and the folks from CAIR, before you lecture me one more time about being sensitive to Muslims and not condemning the entire religion for the acts of a few, I suggest you start directing your haranguing focus at your own people. Maybe if you could convince your Muslim brothers and sisters as to how insensitive it is to fly passenger-laden planes into occupied buildings or to strap bombs on folk and kill innocent people. Screw you! I'm not gonna dance and tip-toe around the thin-as-glass sensibilities of Muslims. Take all your money out of the bank and go buy the biggest ladder you can find to help you get over yourselves! Get your own house in order before you start telling us how to keep ours in order.

Oh, BTW, the links to those opiners I referenced in the first graf who wrote what I had been thinking before I had the chance are here and here.