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16 more killed over cartoons.

RandFan

Mormon Atheist
Joined
Dec 18, 2001
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Nigeria cartoon riots kill 16

Rioting over the controversial cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad claimed another 16 lives last night in Nigeria as churches were burned by protesting Muslims.

Also from the guardian this commentary:

Cartoons and their context

Like other principles, freedom of speech is only absolute until it is shaped by its context. The fierce and serious debate that is coursing through and beyond western Europe about the publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad is no exception to that rule. The cartoons, which are of very mixed quality (and which many newspapers would reject on those grounds alone), offend and provoke. But that is what cartoons do, whether they are good or bad. The right to freedom of speech which allows newspapers to publish such provocative cartoons has been hard won, is inextricably essential to liberty, must be robustly defended and has sometimes to be controversially asserted. If free speech is to be meaningful, moreover, the right to it cannot shirk from embracing views that a majority - or a minority - finds distasteful, even on occasions bitterly so. All those considerations point towards a case for wider publication of cartoons which, even though offensive and provocative, say something about uncomfortable issues that are central to the modern world and have triggered an anguished debate in Europe and elsewhere.
Thank you.
 
Is it the rioters who are being killed? If that is the case, then these riots are a good thing. Given enough time, the problem will take care of itself.
 
Is it the rioters who are being killed? If that is the case, then these riots are a good thing. Given enough time, the problem will take care of itself.
I agree. "Culling the herd" is another term for it.


By the way...

Muslims Assault U.S. Embassy in Indonesia - Feb 19th 2006

Hundreds of Muslims protesting caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad tried to storm the U.S. Embassy on Sunday, smashing the windows of a guard post but failing to push through the gates. Several people were injured.
 
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I'm not happy when people die but if I had to choose I would take the rioters.
If people are willing to become so violent over cartoons to the point that some of them are actually killed then I accept their sacrifice. As I said a long time ago, I've had enough political correctness already.
 
In this case at least, it wasn't just the rioters. Other sources say that several Christians were killed by rioters.

Also, I wish that the media would stop referring to these as "cartoon riots". Whenever I see this, I picture a horde of Daffy Ducks in turbans. Or maybe the Tazmanian Devil on the loose again.
 
Is it the rioters who are being killed? If that is the case, then these riots are a good thing. Given enough time, the problem will take care of itself.

I agree, what an expedient way to "take care of" those extremists causing all the trouble. Can you imagine a cartoon airstrike? Cluster-bombs filled with Mohammed action figures? Forget bombs and bullets, drop Spongebob Squarepants Meets Mohammed cartoons all over the middle east and let them have a go at each other. If we play our cards right, we could link the "propaganda" to Hamas or another group (these are not the droids you're looking for . . . ) and turn them loose on each other. :)
 
In this case at least, it wasn't just the rioters. Other sources say that several Christians were killed by rioters.

Also, I wish that the media would stop referring to these as "cartoon riots". Whenever I see this, I picture a horde of Daffy Ducks in turbans. Or maybe the Tazmanian Devil on the loose again.

I think calling it the “Cartoon Riots” is appropriate because it reminds us just how ridiculous the whole affair is. These riots would be perfect for a cartoon parody if it wasn’t actually happening.

But more seriously, according to this article, they’ve been killing Christians too...

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1636597
 
The trouble with vermin is that while they die quickly, they also breed quickly.
Wow, I was just talking about this. Vermin? They're human beings. They're YOU, if you grew up in a different household. It's not nice to think about, but at the very least, choose your labels carefully.
 
Vermin isn't correct, I agree.

How they came to be scum-suckin' vermin is not my problem. They are misguided, fanatical, ignorant, perhaps even brainwashed. They are also killing people over a cartoon. Their reaction is so over the top that I am still having trouble believeing that this is actually happening. These killers and "embassy burners" are scum-suckin' vermin.

And haven't they made their point already? Are they going to keep burning embassies and killing people indefinitely? The deaths per riot seem to be increasing dramatically as time goes on.

What's going to happen when Southpark gets ahold of this (I am now expecting a link a few posts down showing that they already have)? Is this going to be the new trend whenever these scum-suckin' vermin are offended? Is this the tip of some iceberg? How are we supposed to deal with people like this?

Woo at its worst. This is scary.
 
Most of this rioting seems to be initiated, condoned, and inflamed by the Islamic fanatic leadership. People in most societies will be all too willing to riot and cause mayhem when the leadership basically asks for it. Being 'offended' by a cartoon is just the excuse of the moment, which also is popular in many cultures. To a lesser degree the whole 'PC' trap we have fallen into is a result of having not to 'offend' anyone. Holly ****, we wouldn't want to 'offend' anyone or here come the lawyers!
 
And haven't they made their point already?

Depends what you think their point is. If you think their point is that the cartoons upset them, sure, they already made their point. If, however, you think their real point is something else, such as that they are willing to commit violence in order to force us to capitulate to whatever their demands are, and that we are too weak and cowardly to stop them, then no, they're not done making that point. They'll keep trying to make that point for a VERY long time.

Are they going to keep burning embassies and killing people indefinitely?

Until something makes them stop, yes, they will continue to do exactly that.

Is this the tip of some iceberg?

Yes.

And since you brought up icebergs, I'd like to mention a little historic parallel, namely the Titanic. When it spotted the iceberg in its path, it tried to turn to the side to avoid it, but couldn't do so fast enough. So it struck a glancing blow which tore a small gash down much of the length of the hull. The ship was designed to withstand flooding in several compartments, but the gash tore through one too many, and the ship was doomed. Ironically, had the Titanic instead decided to hit the iceberg head-on, it might have survived. The front compartment would have been badly damaged and would have flooded very quickly, but flooding probably would not have extended any farther back into the hull and the ship would have remained afloat.

Relevance to the current dangers? It's too late in the day to avoid danger. We must take the problem head-on. Some hardship and conflict up front can save us a whole lot of grief in the long run.

How are we supposed to deal with people like this?

Scrutinizer is partly correct. We need to stand ready to kill such people, and we must display our strength and conviction in that regard quite brazenly. But if we're successful at doing that, we won't have to do too much actual killing.
 
Wow, I was just talking about this. Vermin? They're human beings. They're YOU, if you grew up in a different household. It's not nice to think about, but at the very least, choose your labels carefully.
The mere fact that someone shares genes with me does not mean they can do what they want. Your assertion that I would participate in such violence were I brought up in a different household is speculation completely unsupported by facts.

Ziggurat
Relevance to the current dangers? It's too late in the day to avoid danger. We must take the problem head-on. Some hardship and conflict up front can save us a whole lot of grief in the long run.
The guy who started all of this was on 60 Minutes, and that seemed to be his position, too. He felt that Muslims were intimidating people into following their rules, and freedom of speech was slowly being eroded without anyone talking about it. He published these cartoons not to insult Muslims but to confront the issue of censorship headon, and expose Muslim extortion to the light of day.
 
By the way...


Muslims Assault U.S. Embassy in Indonesia - Feb 19th 2006

Hundreds of Muslims protesting caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad tried to storm the U.S. Embassy on Sunday, smashing the windows of a guard post but failing to push through the gates. Several people were injured.

Whoa, am I behind the times here? I thought only Denmark, Norway and France had printed the cartoons... so why are they attacking the U.S. embassy?

They remind me of petulant children (with beards and fire obviously).
 
Whoa, am I behind the times here? I thought only Denmark, Norway and France had printed the cartoons... so why are they attacking the U.S. embassy?
Cuz they are fundy nutballs. For instance:

Mon Feb 20, 2006 1:36 PM

JALALABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Hundreds of Afghan students shouted support on Monday for Osama bin Laden and threatened to join al Qaeda during a protest against cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad.
 
Whoa, am I behind the times here? I thought only Denmark, Norway and France had printed the cartoons... so why are they attacking the U.S. embassy?

They remind me of petulant children (with beards and fire obviously).
Because this isn't really about the cartoons. The cartoons are simply a reminder to the Muslim world that there people out there who aren't Muslim, and that is truly what enrages them.
 

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