What Law? It's Free Speech, Stupid

"The principle of free speech is not concerned with the content of a man's speech and does not protect only the expression of good ideas, but all ideas. If it were otherwise, who would determine which ideas are good and where forbidden? The government?"

"Once a country accepts censorship of the press and of speech, then nothing can be won without violence. Therefore, so long as you have free speech, protect it. This is the life-and-death issue in this country: do not give up the freedom of the press -- of newspapers, books, magazines, radio, movies, and other forms of presenting ideas. So long as that's free, a peaceful intellectual turn is possible." Ayn Rand

Unindicted co-conspirator, Hamas-linked, Muslim Brotherhood front CAIR is calling for prosecution "to the full extent of state and federal law" in the case of a burned qu'ran copy.

Uh, did I miss something? When did this become a crime? Sorry, supremacists, this is protected speech. There have been thousands of burned flags, desecrated bibles, torahs, blah blah blah. So what? 

We would have to introduce an amendment to the Constitution abridging free speech in order to prosecute such "crimes."

Yes, burning the qu'ran is a bad idea. It does a grave disservice to the cause of spreading awareness about Islamic teachings and the threat that Sharia poses to our way of life.

The burning of books is wrong in principle: the antidote to bad speech is not censorship or book-burning, but more speech. Open discussion. Give-and-take. And the truth will out. There is no justification for burning books.

If Americans are free and not under Sharia, then anyone can do this if they want, and their freedom and rights should be protected. Islamic supremacists should not be allowed a victory for their violent intimidation -- if these people want to burn a book, they're free to do so.

If they were burning a Bible, no one would be threatening violence against them. And nobody would be threatening to have them prosecuted to the full extent of the law, as the Islamic supremacists like Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas-linked CAIR is doing.

Petraeus is wrong to say this will threaten American troops. This is based on the assumption that they are fighting us because we are doing things they don't like. Actually they are fighting us because of imperatives within the Islamic faith. They will never like us unless we convert to Islam or submit to Islamic rule. If we stop doing things they dislike, where will we draw the line? How far will Sharia advance in the U.S., with Americans afraid to stop its advance for fear of offending Muslims and stirring them up to violence?

CAIR: Burned Quran Found at Michigan Mosque
Muslim civil rights group calls for FBI hate crime probe

 

(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 9/12/2010) -- The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) today said it has called on the FBI to launch a hate crime investigation of a burned copy of the Quran, Islam's holy text, found early yesterday at a mosque in that state.

CAIR-MI reports that officials of the Islamic Center of East Lansing say vandals left a burned Quran at the front entrance of the mosque and threw pages from holy text in the streets surrounding center. Torn pages of the Quran appeared to be smeared with feces. An unidentified substance was also found on the floor in front of the mosque's main door. CAIR-MI has contacted the FBI about the incident.

 

"The perpetrators of this unconscionable act of religious intimidation must be apprehended and prosecuted to the full extent of state and federal law," said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid.

Comments

[Durotrigan]

I hope that CAIR's appeal to 'prosecute' fall upon death ears. If this doesn't demonstrate to Americans that Islam is incompatible with the concept of a free and open society, I don't know what will. One of the champions of German free speech and expression on the internet - Aaron Koenig, onetime member of the 'Pirate Party' - has joined together with Rene Stadtkewitz and Marc Doll to form a new political party - Die Freiheit - very much along the lines of Geert Wilders's PVV in its tough anti-Islamistion stance. Stadtkewitz was a member of the CDU until Tuesday when he was expelled for anti-Islamic comments. Things are starting to look politically promising for the counterjihad in Germany: http://durotrigan.blogspot.com/2010/09/die-freiheit-freedom-from-islam-for.html

[tom freeman]

i just watched another special on 911. i get atlas emails every day. i watch that ass heraldo last night omg he sucks and i will never watch him again. fox needs to boot him. i canot beleive anyone, anyone who lives in NY could want a mosque near the hallowed grounds. it is unreal what the animals did to us.

pamela keep up the incredibllly good work.

majortomf

[juniper]

I hope they burn the mosque!

[twitter.com/mijadedios]

I've been Tweeting the videos that are popping up on You Tube. A couple guys in Tennessee burned a Koran, A guy in NY at/near Ground Zero burned pages from a Koran, and another guy from who knows where wrapped one in Bacon Strips and torched a Koran on a BBQ Pit. I personally never condoned the Cult leader in FL who wanted to burn the Koran on Sep. 11th. Any day would be fine except that da;, and not for the purpose of one religion being better or not, because quite frankly Islam is a Satanic Cult which denies God has a Son; but for free speech's sake I agree. So there you have it, lots of people can hate the idea of burning a Koran, but as long as I live in America where Islam is free to practice and that Cult leader in Fl is free to practice, we still have the right to burn a book--Koran or 'The Christmas Sweater' by Glenn Beck, makes no difference.

[annie]

To burn a koran is the symbolic expression of hating sharia and its ideology - how is that a crime? Sorry, you all don't get to burn flags as a form of expression then say oh its a koran so that is a hate crime? A crime? Huh? The ideology of islam is a crime and actually encourages muslims to commit all sorts of crimes against women, children, Jews and Christians.

[sgottabesed]

since "Truth is the new hate speech", perhaps "Love of Country is the new hate crime". it's the newer, new america- hopey dopey changey wangey, 2084 obamaliciousness

vote for good people who believe in the constitution as it was written

do ya like da consequences of the last two years?

[Bruce Godfrey]

Reprehensible, Juniper. This sounds like a crime - not the burning of a Qur'an, but the leaving of a burnt object on a set of steps with intent to intimidate and frighten people on the basis of their religion. If there are criminals in the mosque, they should be indicted with due process, not intimidated with a sign-language threat of arson.

I think there are some books so bad that burning them is an appropriate response as a protest - not to deprive others of the right to read them but as a form of extremely negative review - the equivalent of burning the North Korean flag. But I think it's unwise. Far better per Pamela to reproduce the offending, misogynistic, violent book with detailed annotations. Fitna, the film, is a far better choice than simply setting a book on fire.

[Beagle]

There is a difference between burning a flag/Quran/whatever on your own property v. leaving it outside a mosque. The latter is approaching an act of 'intimidation'.

But before the police go off and harass everyone around the mosque, I recommend getting prints off the pages and comparing them to the leaders of the mosque.

The problem for all the people harassing Jones is that his act is "on all fours" with the leading case on symbolic speech: Texas v. Johnson.

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=491&invol=397

It would strain credulity to find any significant distinction between what Jones intended to do and what Johnson did.

But note: Johnson burned the flag on public property, not his own property. Thus, Jones is actually on a better footing.

[Beagle]

One more thing, if you read the case I linked you will quickly discover the court makes it clear the ruling is not limited to flags, but anything which could be burned for symbolic reasons.

So any attempt to distinguish the Quran from the American flag is preempted and expressly rejected by the court.

[Steve M]

Does anyone buy what Imam Rauf said to Amanpour on ABC that he had no idea that planning to build a Mosque near Ground Zero would have such a backlash? Do they really think we're that stupid? Personally I've seeen it coming for a few years when muslim cab-drivers refused passengers 'cause it was "prayer" time, or when they demanded special washrooms to wash their feet for prayer and for prayer-mats. Forgive me for not remembering the details (it's been a few years ),if somebody can please look it up and bring them up to the public's attention.
Pamela please keep up the good work. Keep enlightening the ignorant about the truth about Islam.

Islam & America are incompatible. The collision is inevitable. In fact it is happening already as if in slow motion and I hope we'll emerge as the "Victor".

[aprilnovember811]

Unindicted co-conspirator, Hamas-linked, Muslim Brotherhood front CAIR is calling for prosecution "to the full extent of state and federal law" in the case of a burned qu'ran copy.

What country does he think he's in? If you want a law like that buddy, I suggest you move out of this country, because there won't be one. Keep dreaming. We intend to defeat you. After centuries of putting up with you and your ilk we've about had enough. We have the United States Constitution. If you don't like it, get the hell out.

[knightemplar2]

Burning the "Accursed Book" is not only free speech but every decent reasonable human being's duty.
William Ewart Gladstone (1809–1898)
He called the Qur'an an "accursed book" and once held it up during a session of Parliament, declaring:
"So long as there is this book there will be no peace in the world."
(video)
http://crossmuslims.blogspot.com/2010/05/accursed-book-le-livre-maudit.html

[j]

onwards and upwards supporting the constitution in all circumstances except for muslim americans...

[Brian Schiff]

Anybody wanna bet that the arsonist was a drunk Muslim, who thought he was burning 'The Diary of Anne Frank'?...(B.)a Muslim employee of CAIR?(C.)Pastor Terry Jones....(D.)Alfred E. Newman..

[Rhymes With Right]

Gonna disagree with you here.

The desecrators are, of course, perfectly free to do whatever they wanted to the Quran, just as the KKK is perfectly free to burn a cross in a field owned by one of their members. But just as the KKK cross burning loses its first Amendment protection when the Kluxers set it alight in a black family's front yard (or in front of the local synagogue), when these folks entered the mosque property and deposited the desecrated Quran on the doorstep (and apparently did other stuff as well), they crossed a line into criminal activity.

[xavier 823]

Look at this closely, what your seeing is CAIR's attempt to advance sharia law by increments. This is exactly how the stealth jihad works. Personally I actual prefer the so called radical Muslims they are murderous barbarians but they are honest about hating you just because your not Muslim and they are way more honest about what the Quran says about non Muslims and jihad.

[Monica]

CAIR fears free speech, it's going to attack it with everything they have by calling Free Speech Hate Speech. To bad MSM is busy groveling at their feet instead of recording what their Imam's preach from the pulpit.

[armaros]

The wise Latina and Sharia study Kagan will have a look at this eventually me thinks

[WAKE UP]

The hypocrisy of using Western free specch to call for denial of free speech has ALWAYS escaped Muslims, and always will.

[Egghead]

The Muslims are NOT hypocrites. The Muslims are strategists.

The Muslims are dedicated to using our freedom against us until they can impose Sharia Law on us.

[Egghead]

And, a third appointment yet to come - due to another Supreme Court Justice retiring....

[Egghead]

Muslims often "victimize" themselves in order to create sympathy for Muslims and to implement more facets of Sharia Law.

The Muslim goal here would be to manufacture a need for "hate laws" that preclude Koran burning as a way to impose the anti-blasphemy law of Sharia Law upon non-Muslims.

In Islam, blasphemy is considered to be any communication that fails to further the cause of Islam - that cause being the establishment of Sharia Law ruling over a worldwide Islamic caliphate or ummah. Thus, the charge of blasphemy under Islam makes people unequal under the law because two people may say the exact same thing and one person may be judged to be fine whereas another would be judged to be a blasphemer under a death sentence. The person who would be fine is the imam who preaches violence to jihadis because the imam is furthering the cause of Islam. The person who would be a blasphemer is the infidel who would be saying the same thing as the imam but attempting to warn the infidel of the jihadi violence.

[Robin Shadowes]

Yup, the only thing not deemed as hate crime would be love of the ummah...

[Robin Shadowes]

Fred Phelps has also burned one.

[Robin Shadowes]

This is what Samuel Clemens had to say about the accursed thing:

When I, a thoughtful and unblessed Presbyterian, examine the Koran, I know that beyond any question every Mohammedan is insane, not in all things, but in religious matters. I cannot prove to him that he is insane, because you never can prove anything to a lunatic — for that is a part of his insanity and the evidence of it. - Mark Twain

[Robin Shadowes]

I have a better idea than burning it. Let your dogs pee on it and film it with your cell phone. Then upload it to internet. That sure should wind up quite a few pislamonazis and koranimals.

[MadHatter]

After reading all of these stories about the Imam rauf and his gang, I can't understand why we haven't heard from him before, he said he was here for years, where? I never heard of him until now and now it is as if someone wound him up, when Obama appeared so did this band of pushy zealots and fanatics. Does he have a clue as to where he is? It seems to me these wandering vagabonds who don't seem to have a country that suits them, but make every country they migrate to their own, even people who do not think as they do in their own country, where ever that may be, are forced to comply with their religion or suffer the consequences. I can't imagine going the rest of my life with these people wailing about the disrespect they are recieving here and what they want for America and on and on, the perfect answer would be for them to go back home where everything is compatible to their beliefs and their Sharia'h law, this may be a melting pot, thanks to the Muslimn frauds, the UN, it is now boiling over with people who are un American and obviously not happy here. They don't seem to have any shame and they have a lot of nerve, a bad combination, perhaps we could assist them in finding a place more suitable to their bogus delicate nature, like the Middle East, it must be a hell hole if no muslim wants to stay there. Why are they bringing their garbage here, Some Muslims came here years ago to escape this opression and shariah law and now the radicals are here. They have infiltrated and converted every place they have been to, England for one, France and most of the European countries are trying to free themselves of these bums, now we are being Politically correct? is this political, is it religious, what the heck is it? This is their way of life, Mayor Bloomberg will sell his soul and that of his families just so he can do business in Dubai then I have to wonder how he was voted into office, money not only talks it cheats and it lies. He changed the rules to suit himself, made it a 3 term Mayorship, he didn't deserve one term, he has bought his way into New york and he looked horrified that anyone balked at the idea of a Mosque on the WTC complex, Money does not buy class and ignorance is something that you are stuck with no matter how much money you have, it doesn't buy Patriotism either as you can see by his Honor, may I laugh? LOL. No one in office is working for us, no one in the Council on Foreign relations is working for us, that goes for the CFR member Mayor Bloomberg. We are supposed to be protected by our leaders in this country, thats what they get paid for,somehow they have forgotten this is America and we are not going to go unprotected, even if hillary Clinton wants to take our guns, you let these terrorists in here and you want to take our guns, fine then let the army get rid of theirs too, why should Hillary Clinton be protected and not us? Let the secret service stop carrying guns and then we wll too. maybe. I sincerely hope all of us votes everyone who is in office now, no matter what capacity or how good they may seem, vote them out, they have not fought for us or America and certainly not for NY. Get them all out and vote in new people, make sure they are not CFR members and we might have a chance to straighten all of this mess out, I do know Muslims are not part of the future plan. They are a threat to us and our way of life and so they must be deported, , Muulims who have lived here for years or born here and are moderate and have always been moderate can stay of course, but the rest have to go, starting with Imam Rauf and his entourage. He is a threat to me and mine and America.

[dumbledoresarmy]

There's an atheist Aussie academic who just did a youtube clip in which he rolls 'cigarettes' (to look like joints; but the grass in them is lawn clippings, not the other kind) with pages torn from a. a Bible and b. a Koran, and then smokes both and pronounces on the 'flavour' of each ..His name is Alex Stewart, he's 29 and teaches at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). It made the national news. Predictably, a Muslim spokesman has a hissy fit, a Christian spokesman is diplomatic and observes that the stunt 'on one level was humorous', and, best of all, the Queensland Council for Civil Liberties president, one Michael Cope, remarked that he didn't think Mr Stewart had contravened the 'Anti-Discrimination Act' and reminded everyone, moreover, that there are NO penalties for 'blasphemy' in the state Criminal Code..these having been removed some time ago (and a good thing, too, that they were; this heads off certain kinds of Muslim trouble, at the pass). Unfortunately, the University doesn't seem to have a very firm grasp on the principle of academic freedom and freedom of speech, and are threatening to 'discuss' the matter with their staff member.

Two Aussie papers' take on events:

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/lawyer-smokes-pages-from-the-koran-and-bible-in-a-youtube-stunt/story-e6freoof-1225919832708

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/alex-stewart-faces-inquiry-from-employer-qut-over-bible-koran-video/story-e6frg6nf-1225920631419

[christopher martel]

I fully intend to burn the korash EVERY Sept. 11 from here on. I call it the "korash" because it's a combination of "koran" and "trash" - and it also sounds like "koresh" and islame to me is the same as David Koresh, and deserves as much freedom of religion rights as Koresh did -- which is NONE. As a matter of fact I'm gonna go out and buy a whole bunch of korash's and burn one every fucking day if I can. Also, everybody check this out -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF-4ihLA_JY -- you'll like it. Refer people who try to call you "racist" to this.

[gsw]

"quite frankly Islam is a Satanic Cult"

Quite frankly, it is not. It is a barbaric cult, it began by worshipping the black meteorite idol in Mekka, destroying all other 'idols'.
It continued via a violent polical-ideological regime of conquest.
It retains all those aspects of torture and misogamy, which we in the west fought to be rid off.

However, it does not worship Lucifer. Since Lucifer is just another name for prometheus, and was the light bringer and god of knowledge and independence, I would prefer if they were.

No, they worship a paternalistic, jealous god given to genocide.

[Liz]

East Lansing is the home of Michigan State University. College is a place of rebellion and immaturity, deal with it. A church in E. Lansing also had an open reading from an English translation of the Quran from 7 to 9 p.m. this past weekend. I couldn't agree more, don't burn it; read it.

[peacenow99]

Only Citizen-Journalists are putting the reaction to proposed arab-korn building in context of the enemy's propensity to blame Western Civilization for any singular or local affront.

Next up for the Left-Agendist is: the "Values Voter Summit," which Newt is attending. While I have a broader view on individual liberties, there is no threat in attempting to define social values, and making same a pillar of electoral politics. Good luck to them.

But keynote VVS speakers question muz commitment to American values. Really? So they are just like us?

Judge for yourself. You decide if you share values with muz savages:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swadss8D8zw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rxi6OeJcO-w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaP_sGRs2JQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzOVrfFtKcI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQs-uANrl1A&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_3xKvyag54

[Phreak]

"muslim americans"... what exactly are those??? I was born of a Jewish mother, but I am not a "Jewish American". I am not any hyphenated/conjugated/elongated American. I am American. Born here, like my parents and grand-parents.

"The day [of judgment] will not come about until you fight the Jews and KILL them". Islamic hadith. A call for genocide, constitutionally protected free speech.

[Psycho Phreak]

I tried wiping with it, but it was too full of crap to take any more.

[dee dee]

That's the only good thing I've ever read about Phelps

[dee dee]

That's probably why Newsweak had a large photo of Clemmens on it's cover a few weeks ago--another story devoted to America bashing, even though it claimed to be an examination of American lit. I mean THAT is worthy of being a cover story?

[lfatto1]

I agree with you, Durotrigan, but the "People" in America who vote need to be IQ tested. There are an unbelievable number of morons in the US. They watch CNN and MSNBC and BELIEVE what those fascists tell them! They do not know what is going on in Europe and how France and England have been invaded by radical Islamists who want to kill all of their people. Once more, the President of the United States hates his own country! We are a mess here. We will likely roll over and play dead before we do anything to offend CAIR!

[Robin Shadowes]

LOL! Me too!

[Richard]

Who wants to be against the damage at the mosque being done by Moslems who want to try and make us look like rabid racists?

[Auntie Izlam]

Christopher, go to:
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/09/mega-mosque-imam-quran-burning-would-have-been-disastrous-and-strengthened-radicals-implying-muslims.html

and scroll down to the bottom, I just saw a message 'When*Pigs*Fly" has left you about your alleged stalker.