Over the course of time, you’ve had those that defended Pam Geller’s free speech, and those who are wringing their hands. Even some Republicans, such as Bill O’Reilly (who gets schooled here) went squishy. Of course, Replica Republican Kathleen Parker had to chime in
Pamela Geller’s abuse of free speech
The recent spectacle of Pamela Geller, the erstwhile journalist who organized a provocative contest in Texas of cartoons of the prophet Muhammad, gives pause to even the most passionate defenders of the First Amendment.
No, just the squishy folks gave pause. And many liberals. And most Islamists. Think about that. What company are these people keeping when they have the same views on Free Speech as hardcore Islamists?
Not since Westboro Baptist Church’s “God Hates Fags†message and Florida pastor Terry Jones burning the Koran has the principle of free speech been so sullied and abused.
Huh. I’m missing the part in the Constitution and the Federalist Papers where Free Speech is supposed to be sanitized and Approved. If you notice the subhead in my blog, it reads “If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all”. That’s actually from uber-lefty Noam Chomsky. We don’t have to approve of or like the expression, but, we have to allow it.
Waging a one-woman crusade against the Muslim world, Geller says she wanted to draw a line in the sand and demonstrate to terrorists that, when it comes to free speech, America bows to no one. Okay, we get your point. It’s an American point, actually.
First, she has been passionately against hardcore Islam, not Muslims overall. Parker is abusing her free speech on that. Second, “it’s an American point”? Perhaps she would prefer the Muslim point. In Egypt, 4 teens and their teacher face long jail terms for insulting Islam. It would be easy to find many other examples.
And Geller’s contribution to these protections and our unwavering dedication to its preservation is, exactly, what? A taunt. Shouldn’t one at least aspire to some originality? It’s been done. And each time, the result is the same. You haul out a picture of Muhammad; “they†haul out a fatwa. Cat puts out cheese; mouse gets eaten. What does one expect?
Nice. A bit of victim blaming.
This is certainly the way Geller thinks, as her comments confirm. She has declined to apologize for instigating this unnecessary clash — remember when we preferred to take the fight to the terrorists over there? She even claims to have saved lives by luring two terrorists to their deaths. Geller baited the field, in other words.
Remember how the Founders apologized for their free speech?
As an operating principle, mightn’t we try less incendiary means of problem-solving? I don’t know, maybe something less likely to lead to violence?
No. Period.
Sometimes the messenger really is the problem. And oftentimes, the medium is, too.
So, we’re now allowed to say that a women in a really short skirt sans bra, buzzed and flirty, is the problem, according to Parker (and the rest of the hang wringers). I wonder how they would respond if the woman who is sexually assaulted gets blamed? Oh, right, I forgot, they avoid this whenever it happens in Islamic countries.
Our Founding Fathers bequeathed not only the freedom of religion and expression from government tyranny but also the freedom to think as the enlightened progeny of some of history’s most creative, inventive and philosophical minds.
It is easy to imagine their disappointment at the character of today’s debate.
Yes, I could easily see them being disappointed in how so many wring their hands over certain Free Speech being denigrated. And being called “abuse”. Ms. Parker is more than welcome to her free speech, and doesn’t have to agree with Pam Geller’s. Ms. Parker, though, apparently wants to stop Pam Geller’s free speech.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
Read: Kathleen Parker: Pam Geller Totally Abused Free Speech »
