Danish Publisher Speaks
I don’t know if many of you saw this, but the Danish guy who published the cartoons wrote a thing about it. I don’t 100% agree with this guy, but he has some really interesting points, like the following:
I commissioned the cartoons in response to several incidents of self-censorship in Europe caused by widening fears and feelings of intimidation in dealing with issues related to Islam. And I still believe that this is a topic that we Europeans must confront, challenging moderate Muslims to speak out. The idea wasn’t to provoke gratuitously — and we certainly didn’t intend to trigger violent demonstrations throughout the Muslim world. Our goal was simply to push back self-imposed limits on expression that seemed to be closing in tighter.
So, you wanted to prove that you weren’t scared of Muslims bombing things? Guess what: Muslims bombed things after all.
In January, Jyllands-Posten ran three full pages of interviews and photos of moderate Muslims saying no to being represented by the imams. They insist that their faith is compatible with a modern secular democracy. A network of moderate Muslims committed to the constitution has been established, and the anti-immigration People’s Party called on its members to differentiate between radical and moderate Muslims, i.e. between Muslims propagating sharia law and Muslims accepting the rule of secular law. The Muslim face of Denmark has changed, and it is becoming clear that this is not a debate between “them” and “us,” but between those committed to democracy in Denmark and those who are not.
I guess this is a case of standing up to the bully because, even though you get punched in the face, at least his friends know that he’s not so strong anymore. It kind of sucks to gamble with other people’s lives, though. So, because this guy decided Denmark needed a dialogue, some innocent people die? That’s unfortunate. Then again, he wasn’t the one who bombed things.
I don’t know if this Dane is to blame.
Its like my little sister. She once had pony tails. Each morning, before she was old enough to go to school, she sat at the table with mom, talking to the boys as them came down. Each of the four older brothers did something to her hair, like tug on those tails, as they entered the room. By the time the youngest brother came down and pulled, she yelled.
He would say, “What i do?” And perhaps it wasn’t just what he did, but all the events leading up to it.
I applaud the Dane, it may have been reckless, but it stirred the pot to involve more than a superficial glossing of the situation (with THE West v. Islam) which usually involves a diatribe on Bush.
— vanimal3000 | @
he didnt kill anybody. it doesnt even sound like he was talking to all the maniacs out there killing people, trying to incite them. it sounds like he was talking more to danes who would selfcensor themselves, for instance because of the recent murder of that filmmaker by insano muslims.
the riots remind me of a temper tantrum thrown by a 2year old. if your kid throws a temper tantrum, do you tiptoe around him for the rest of your life, or do you tell him to shut the hell up? or maybe you just ignore him till he realizes he’s not impressing anyone.
— midas | @
or do you slap him with a two-by-four ??!? i keed, i keed. i probably keep doing whatever started the tantrum…. until i’m not impressing him anymore. but i guess it’s same as ignoring. mo wallpaper, baby.
— Coulie | @
i don’t blame that guy for anything. i think he’s awesome. i’d be really scared if i was him, though- there is a $1million bounty on his head after all. but as we all learned from point break: “It’s not tragic to die doing what you love.”
“my dad was the cartoon martyr.”
— Wolf | @
for the record, lest someone think im a softie, to answer midas’ question–i tell him to SHUT THE HELL UP!
haha.
as the Congressman should have told his wife when she wore a t-shirt to the state of the union:
cong: “honey, do you really think you should wear a t shirt to the state of the union?”
wife: “uh! cindy sheehan gets to wear one.”
cong: “but it makes you look fat”
wife: “oh! you’re right, thanks, how’d i get so lucky to have a guy around?”
cong: “b/c you’re one lucky sunofabitch.”
all that to say honesty is the best policy. tell them that 50% of US oil comes from Canada–and they don’t throw their weight around, so shut the hell up.
here, here midas.
ok fine–you may express your views, but quietly, there are some around here that need to study. or correspondingly read about nick lachey’s divorce proceedings online instead of studying [he's asking for alimony from jessica simpson! you can't make this stuff up!]
— vanimal3000 | @
On the GANG question:
“Van, So the people over at the City of Richmond’s gang unit suggested that your friend go to http://www.vgia.org. I’m sorry, I know your friend was looking for a bit more than that, but I can only give out whatever information they let me give out. I hope he understands. I hope your classes are progressing well.”
sorry max
— vanimal3000 | @
i just went to the site, thats gotta be the worst site of all time. and if i notice it, that means its REALLY BAD.
sorry guys–i smell gang-coverup big time.
FOIA time??
— vanimal3000 | @
Yeah I will peruse that site sometime to see if it has what I want. Also sweet intro music.
— MaxPower | @
hey i met that congressman. he may have been too senile to recognize the tshirt. he didnt seem “all there.”
— midas | @
i mean perhaps he was fantisizing about the t-shirt.
i mean he could imagine it going this way:
security guard: “sir, you and your wife are going to have to leave, she can’t wear a tshirt, its the state of the union, if cindy can’t, you can’t. i mean its just tacky.”
cong: “how dare you, sir! my wife is beautiful and intelligent just the way she is! Tshirt or no Tshirt, if she leaves, I leave!”
[thrown out of capital, minutes later at home]
wife: “oh honey, you’re so brave the way you stood up for me.”
cong: “u’r one lucky sunofabich.”
and scene.
and now you know, the rest of the story.
— vanimal3000 | @
you are bad at stealing threads
— nic | @
unfortunately, i feel that if i offer a truthful opinion on this topic, i will be hunted down and killed.
instead, since this thread is already hijacked by van…
consider this:
sandwich sounds the same as sand witch.
i think that is awesome!
speaking of sandwiches, how funny is that nextel commercial where the guy falls into a crevace by the ridge?
speaking of commercials, how funny is that caveman fedex commercial?
— fetzer | @
I mean, I prounounce sandwich as “Sam Witch.” Is that wrong?
— RMSzero | @
what else is there to say about the Danish cartoonist?
Please go on, by all means….
— vanimal3000 | @