The Malcontent

All the Islam That's Unfit to Print

While the inward American Left still shudders from occasional paroxysms of apoplexy over Hitlerian, jack-booted thugs removing t-shirts from the Capitol on Tuesday night, the rest of the western world turns its eyes further east this week as one of the core foundations of liberal democracy comes under orchestrated attack by Islamic nation states and the real, tangible shadows of fascism.

When a Danish newspaper published editorial cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad, a firestorm erupted in the Muslim world. Artistic likenessess of the founding father of the religion are strictly verboten. Islamic governments and culture at large reacted with characteristic aplomb, attacking embassies, threatening to kidnap and execute foreigners, demanding apologies and groveling from European governments, and generally being their peaceful selves. Egypt dispensed with formalities and addressed the controversy with a bit of straight-forward Euro-speak. While the politicians fell over themselves apologizing for freedom of expression, European publications are standing firm.

In a somewhat related story, Richard J. Rosendall of the Independent Gay Forum recently wrote a piece wondering what on earth gay people and organizations are doing supporting Palestinians over a liberal democracy. Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism have called for a boycott of World Pride 2006 scheduled to be held in Jerusalem. The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission characteristically picked Leftist politics over gay rights, supporting a violently homophobic Palestinian culture that would kill them over a liberal Israel that protects gay rights. As the author notes, wrapping this decision in human rights rhetoric counts not at all considering the IGLHRC attended rallies in Beijing and Havana.

Given the first story in this post, I am beginning to doubt many of these queer organizations are, in fact, liberal. Supporting cultures that would squelch free expression while persecuting gays seems like more "solidarity in oppression" agitprop.

Last, but definitely not least, I decided to toss up one of the editorial cartoons depicting Mohammed, because, well, fuck 'em. Free expression must always trump offense and the cult of victimology, even if Islamic culture has unravelled the code speak our own radical queers use when siding with far left-wing causes that would reduce freedoms under the guise of gay and human rights.

h/t Queer Conservative

Dear God, Let It Be So

Cindy Sheehan said she is considering running for the U.S. Senate against Dianne Feinstein, not exactly a John Birch Society member herself.

Sheehan made her announcement in the country run by Hugo Chavez, the America-hating, self-styled "second Fidel Castro of Latin America."

I am not making this up.

Schadenfreude, Thy Name Is Sheehan

Being no mathematician and not understanding what you get when you divide by zero, I'm not even sure you can express in real terms how greatly the press outnumbered the fans at Cindy Sheehan's book signing.

But I do know, as far as royalties go, that zero percent of zero isn't too good.

[HT: Gay Patriot, Queer Conservative]

Moral Authority vs Moral Authority

One of the endless things I'm thankful for is lacking all sense of political correctness or victimization. Be thankful you're not wasting your holiday posting minor novels on this nonsense.

This is too rich. Apparently, Cindy Sheehan wrote a diary (since deleted) using or comparing her situation to the “Trail of Tears,” and a diarist named StarkRavingLunaticRadical posted a long diary taking her to task- “How Dare You, Cindy Sheehan?”

It's a Victim vs Victim Holiday Deathmatch! Can a Native American generally pissed off about Thanksgiving overcome the absolute moral authority of a grieving mother? Tune in! They'll wrassle, we'll eat turkey. It's win-win.

Cindy did eventually apologize with the kind of thought and sentiment that goes into most of Jessica Simpson's brilliant off the cuff commentary.

Robbie Thanksgiving Update (from here on out to be known as RTU): Two glasses of white wine. I'm one glass behind my nearest competitor.

Paging Norma Desmond . . .

  "Peace Mom" and resident lunatic, Cindy Sheehan, proves why it is ultimately useless for any politician to deal with her.

Cindy Sheehan, the so-called "peace mom" on a crusade to end U.S. involvement in the Iraq war, is publicly blasting Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., for her continued support of the ongoing conflict.

"I think she is a political animal who believes she has to be a war hawk to keep up with the big boys," Sheehan writes in an open letter. "I would love to support Hillary for president if she would come out against the travesty in Iraq. But I don't think she can speak out against the occupation, because she supports it. I will not make the mistake of supporting another pro-war Democrat for president again: As I won't support a pro-war Republican."

Earlier this morning, Mother Sheehan accused U.S. Air Force Reserve forces of "hostile action" against the "sovereign airspace" of Hurricane Wilma. Responding to claims by Department of Defense spokesman, Lawrence DeRita, that the aircraft was engaged in meteorological reconnaissance, Sheehan released a blistering statement:

Once again the Bush administration has used the pretext of humanitarian disaster to advance its imperialist, neo-con agenda into the furthest reaches of the Carribbean. My son Casey did not die so Zionist forces within government might countenance war with the great statesman, Fidel Castro, by sending military units perilously close to the worker's paradise of Cuba.

Ms. Sheehan's twenty spokespeople, Jesse Jackson, and an underutilized therapist could not be reached for comment.

"Warmonger" vs. Hatemonger

Cindy Sheehan is at it again.  Fresh from the pokey for protesting without a permit (something that is ridiculously easy to obtain in D.C. but which many intentionally overlook for the PR value of an arrest), she's now trying to make hay out of a meeting with someone who is not even her Senator.  And, of course, the sycophantic media are right along for the ride.

First, Cindy secures a meeting with Sen. John McCain through deception.  Then, even after he had the grace to hear her views, she returned the favor by labeling the Republican-Democrats-love-to-love a "warmonger."

I have never thought it would be a simple matter for John McCain to out-class anyone, but he makes breezy work of Cindy:

"She's entitled to her opinion," McCain said. "We just have fundamental disagreements."

Meanwhile, Cindy's spokeswoman is doing about as well at making purses from sows' ears as Tom Cruise's sister.  Lame explanation for her client's dementia: "She's exhausted."

"Cindy Sheehan: The Sequel" is a turning out a little bit like William Hung's Christmas album.  The first time around, it might have had mild entertainment value.  But now it would be nice if you would just shut the hell up.

Cindy Sheehan Gets SWOTted

Can We Question Cindy's Patriotism Now?

The usually reliable Taranto had a spot-on piece yesterday about aggrieved mother and anti-war zealot Cindy Sheehan.  He catalogs several of the myriad calumnies and slurs Sheehan has made about the Bush Administration and, even more damning, her country.  (To wit: "This country is not worth dying for.")

So it would appear that Sheehan's earlier-reported intemperate comments were not isolated, nor were they the type of one-off statement made by someone in mourning.  If Cindy Sheehan is to be made a hero of the left for exercising her First Amendment rights, then surely it is fair game to hold her accountable for the manner in which she chooses to exercise them.

But to me, this is equally an issue of outright media bias among the heat-dazed White House press corps in Texas, desperate to stitch a story together out of an August vapor.  Money quote from Taranto:

The journalists will soon move on, and her political allies may do so as well. For them she is a mere instrument. The White House press corps will discard her as soon as they return to Washington where there's real news going on. Serious opponents of the war in Iraq will cast her aside if her foul statements make her an embarrassment. When that happens, we can only hope that someone still cares about Cindy Sheehan -- not as a story or a symbol, but as a human being.

"Patriotism in Action"

A few questions:

I would like to ask Howard Dean and the Democratic leaders (whoever they are these days -- maybe George Soros and Al Franken?) if their party truly believes that it is "patriotism in action" to demand Israel's unilateral capitulation to "Palestine"?  Why do they consistently take the side of soldiers' family members who are against the War on Terror, rather than those who favor it?  Why are they so closely associating themselves with someone who is threatening to dodge their federal tax obligations?

If not, then why is it that the Democrats are so quick these days to ally themselves with out-of-control anti-Semites, merely because they are also anti-Bush?

Elsewhere, GOP Vixen has a good answer to Cindy's salient question: "(Bush) said my son died in a noble cause, and I want to ask him what that noble cause is."

LimeShubert does some armchair analysis:"I don’t hear Cindy talking about all the things CASEY will miss out on, she is constantly focused on herself and what SHE is going through."

Ann Althouse says it's dangerous for Drudge (linked above) to focus on one individual and what she might say at any given moment.  (I would respond that that's precisely what the left has done, but from an anti-war/anti-Bush perspective.)