Senators Respond Poorly to Koran Burning
I thought Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid's response to the Koran burning/riots was bad:
“We’ll take a look at this of course…as to whether we need hearings or not, I don’t know."
Hearings? On what? The First Amendment and how it guarantees freedom of expression? But Sen. Lindsay Graham's reaction was even worse:
"I wish we could find a way to hold people accountable. Free speech is a great idea, but we're in a war."
Well, hate to break it to Graham, who seems to enjoy getting us involved in wars, but U.S. troops aren't likely to be out of harm's way in Muslim lands for a very long time. Are we to suspend the First Amendment indefinitely?
It's bad when U.S. Senators can't defend American values better than Terry Jones, who (however rude and clumsy he may be) is at least attempting to make a point about deference to the intimidations of religious extremists being inimical to the civil liberties that are the essence of American freedom.
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Sep '10
Re: Senators Respond Poorly to Koran Burning
Lindsay would rather burn our constitution than anger some intolerant radicals. Just another reason why he should not be considered a serious member of Congress.
May '10
Re: Senators Respond Poorly to Koran Burning
Judging from Steyn's blog, the governments in Canada, Britain and Australia have all embraced the role of thought police. If it can happen there, it can happen here.
Jun '10
Re: Senators Respond Poorly to Koran Burning
If you wrap your Koran in an American flag, can you burn it then? Something for radical Muslims to ponder. Or maybe, in that case, wrapping it in an American flag is the real desecration, and you're in the same trouble. So hard to know. Maybe, they could just let Allah do his own judging and sentencing, and humans stay out of it. That would be a solution.
Oct '10
Re: Senators Respond Poorly to Koran Burning
Part of the First Amendment is that we must suffer fools like that pastor down in Florida. We have suffered many fools like him, Left and Right. Lindsay is one of the most spineless Republicans in Congress, but there is heavy competition for the honor.
Don't we have this conversation every few months? Still the First Amendment remains, and so do fools and quislings.
Jun '10
Re: Senators Respond Poorly to Koran Burning
Over at the Corner, Mark Steyn weighs in on Senator Graham, who is rapidly gaining the reputation as America's dumbest senator (this is an accomplishment, given the competition):
"I agree with the Instaprof: Lindsey Graham is unfit for office.The good news is there’s no need for the excitable lads of Mazar e-Sharif to chop his head off because he’s already walking around with nothing up there."
And that's the nicest thing he said.
Edited on Apr 4, 2011 at 10:33amMay '10
Re: Senators Respond Poorly to Koran Burning
Sooner (probably) or later we are going to have to have rallies where each one of us tears a page out of the Koran, draws a picture of the prophet Mohammed on it (for subsequent posting on a website), then burns it.
The alternative is to turn down the road to dhimmitude.
Sep '10
Re: Senators Respond Poorly to Koran Burning
Kudos to Mollie, great points incisively made.
I don't consider myself a war monger, I was against going into Iraq (prior to our commitment) and am against the intervention in Libya to date.
I am sorry for those who where harmed by this in far off countries, but it seems to me that trying to appease these extremists by curtailing our freedoms is almost exactly the wrong thing to do.
Oct '10
Re: Senators Respond Poorly to Koran Burning
It never ceases to amaze me that South Carolina could elect both Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint. It's like the Superbowl of cognitive dissonance.
With no end to the fight against terrorism in sight, Graham's bizarre invocation of "wartime" censorship might as well be a call for imposing a permanent "state of emergency." Anyone whose first instinct is government intervention has no business calling himself a Republican, of course, but we already knew that.
Aside from the offense against religious tolerance, Jones was also protesting the very sort of politically correct obscurantism Graham tacitly endorses. The murderous response is, in fact, a timely reminder of just what kind of enemy we face. Our first amendment rights, in and of themselves, are an "incitement," and it is the curtailment of free speech proposed by Graham which gives them aid and comfort. Shame on him.
Dec '10
Re: Senators Respond Poorly to Koran Burning
Until we are ready to "unleash Hell" or overwhelmingly kill people and break things, we should not enter a war, much less a kinetic military action. I believe Graham falls into the "feckless crap weasel" category. We are a nation under a multifront attack and Graham and his ilk keep lowering their shields and encouraging others to do the same. They are as evil as our enemies.
Think what you will of Rev. Jones, I support his right and hope it forces our side to deal more aggressively with our enemies.
Re: Senators Respond Poorly to Koran Burning
If Graham wants war-time censorship, he should introduce a declaration of war. It is a shame that, on our side of the fence, we have such a clown. Perhaps that will change in 2014 when he is up for re-election.
Sep '10
Re: Senators Respond Poorly to Koran Burning
Hysterical, these little gems alone are worth the $3 membership for Ricochet this month.
Dec '10
Re: Senators Respond Poorly to Koran Burning
I think Rob Long gets credit for the "feckless crap weasel" moniker.
Oct '10
Re: Senators Respond Poorly to Koran Burning
I feel the same way about John Cornyn.
Nov '10
Re: Senators Respond Poorly to Koran Burning
I thought it was Jonah Goldberg.
Dec '10
Re: Senators Respond Poorly to Koran Burning
Maybe it was Jonah Goldberg. I heard it on a podcast and they( Rob and Jonah) sounded similar to me when I first discovered Ricochet. Anyway I did not want to take the credit.