I for one am sickened by the whole thing. You are exactly right about the cowardice of the American press, and I won't add more to that specifically.

What I also find ironic however, is that the Muslim world lashed out at the cartoons saying it depicts Muhammad as a terrorist who engages in violence. So I know, let's all go out and voice our dipleasure at those damn non-muslims by rioting and killing. We'll show them not to depict Muhammad as violent.

It would be laughable if it weren't so sad.

That was my first thought, too.

"We're mad that you depicted Muhhamad as a violent bomb-thrower and so we're going to prove you wrong by getting violent and throwing bombs in the name of Muhammad!"

Uh.... Yeah. Okay.

And, yes, let's not overlook the cowardice and hypocrisy of the media in the U.S.

Initially I felt the same as you, Ex, that the U.S. press was being biased/chicken for not running the cartoons. However I eventually changed my mind.

I look at it like this, if some non-christian nation ran cartoons of jesus that christians considered inflaming; would I really want the U.S. press to run them? Probably not, because its not really news, rather the response is the news. An analogous situation is when Paris hilton made a lot of press with her sex tapes awhile back, but obviously the general media didn't run pictures because most would find it offensive/inflaming. Repeating the cartoons adds nothing either way; none the less, I think the Danes should be applauded for showing how truly nutty radical Islam can be.

By the way, I found the pictures awhile back through the Internet easily on a Belgian site (very silly cartoons).

What's intelligent is this editorial (link below) by a U.S. muslim. It goes beyond what StillHunter said...

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-momand9feb09,1,65...

I've spent enough time around Islamic sensitivities to get a little nervous about the whole affair. If a Muslim cartoonist had created the drawings, I'd be a bit more understanding -- I think the charge of blasphemy is more justified if it's leveled against a believer who insults the religion he espouses to follow.

However, the cartoonists aren't Muslim. So non-believers are being threatened with death if they don't show the same values as believers. If we accept the idea that we must not risk offending Islam, then we must be prepared to accept Islamic law. Because today's protests over cartoons could be tomorrow's protests over the Swimsuit Issue, movies, female drivers, bacon, you name it.

I've been to Afghanistan -- land of the blue burkha. Until late 2001, music was illegal, ancient cultural relics (Bamiyan Buddhas) were destroyed, and converting from Islam was punishable by death. The Taliban epitomized the kind of world Islamists seek to create. I know where this can go if you let Islam's violent fringe dictate the bounds of free expression.

As a Christian, I take offense at artists who profane what I hold sacred. But I don't believe their expression should be outlawed or that the artists should be subject to violence. Those who wish to express their ideas freely must be willing to afford others the same privilege. A society free of offense would ultimately be expressionless and totalitarian.

THAT is the difference!

I agree with the writer of that article. The cartoons really shouldn't be a big deal. But since they flew off the handle about them, it takes away from other really important issues. It's similar with most of politics sadly. Point to some hot-button issue to get the base fired up, sweep aside issues that really matter and reject discussion.

You wouldn't WANT the U.S. press to run the cartoons, but you know perfectly darned well that they WOULD run them! That's the difference. That's the hypocrisy and the cowardice. In this case they defer to the sensibilities of the Muslims when we all know, without any doubt, that they would NOT defer in the same way to Christians.

I just think CNN should be more honest about it. The REAL reason they wouldn't show them is that they want to able to get their reporters in tough places for a STORY! Reduce the chance of a kidnap etc.
As for the rioters, head of Arab states, etc.; have you ever seen the cartoons about Jews and Isreal that run almost every day in those papers? They are far more offensive than the Danish stuff.
Some parts of the world just need to grow up! Complain, write letters to the editor, etc.; but burn, trash, and kill is just plain immature at best.
The whole PC on this is that we should be sensitive to Islam, and that we don't understand them. Well, it works both ways. Our Governments don't control the news here. Get over it!

I'm quite confused by the so-called longic behind this whole thing.

To make my point...When the Pope visted Canada and the USA several years ago and vendors of many denominations were on lieraly every street corner selling "Pope on a Rope" soap and every other what not, wouldthat have justified a devote catholic from spraying an innocent crowd with gunfire ?

Total idiot behaviour perpetrated by fools. I'm going up now and read the hunting posts where logic and common sense will prevail.....

This article is good background on the cartoon situation. It specifically discusses how other material beyond the original cartoons has been used to incite muslim rage. This link probably won't last forever and is worth a read...

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB113921315124065893-zbYtnrL_2B4o6J...

Good point on the muslim media, Unit5a.

The whole thing has demonstrated clearly why governments based on religion (islam in this case) are not a good idea.

Nuke them boys.