I was looking at a black and white world. . . .

It seemed so exciting.

It seems like my friend Leah and I have a disagreement on some aspects of the whole issue of "cartoon violence," as our moronic Commander in Chief called it.

I fear we are not all Americans (as was said after 9/11), or all Danes (as Leah said this morning); I fear that what events such as these do is make us all fundamentalists.

I bloody hate fundamentalists. . . on all sides (and there are not just two).

Leah has posted below, and I have posted a quick response in the comments section. What do you think?


Update: Leah has moved her post over to ChezLeah (it was apparently posted here by accident). The comments I had added to the original “We are all Danes” post that I refer to above read as follows:

I gotta say, right out, I have severe differences with Jeff Jacoby. While I think the reaction to the anti-Muslim cartoons is an example of viral marketing at its worst, I think the publication of the cartoons by the Danish paper--and the subsequent re-printing by numerous others--is a whole lot more about provoking Muslims than it is about freedom of the press.

As I understand it, many governments--the Danes, the French, and, yes, the Americans--stand to gain from demonizing Islam and provoking Muslim rage. I don't endorse the violence, I can't even really begin to understand it, but I can begin to understand the role played by the west in provoking and perpetuating it.

I am still quite open to a discussion in the comments section. . . .