Freedom of speech – Dictionary
[fee-duh m, uhv, speech]Noun
- In defense of cartoon Muhammads
- Reason for Jihad
- To violently dispute
- A Farce
Another month and another “freedom of speech” incident. Two men were killed outside of a conference centre in Garland, Texas. These two men were heavily armed and on their way to disrupt a “Jihad watch – Muhammad art exhibit and cartoon contest’’. Unfortunately, for the would-be Jihadists, the event’s organizers spent upwards of $50,000 on armed security and police pay-duties. Dreams of slaughter and mayhem and virgins turned into a security guard with a wounded leg… and the untimely deaths of the armed duo, of course.
Certainly we can’t blame the event’s organizers for being overly cautious. Already this year we’ve had the Charlie Hebdo incident, in which 12 people were killed, followed by a mass shooting in Copenhagen aimed at the cartoonist Lars Vilks. Both attacks were directly related to simple cartoon drawings of Muhammad.
Fast forward to Today, May 29th. In response to the attempted massacre in Garland a protest has been organized and is scheduled to be held in front of an Arizona Mosque, which the two now deceased gunmen frequented. The protest is being supported by what the media is referring to as an “Armed biker gang” and will include a Muhammad cartoon contest (what else?) all in the name of…….. Freedom of speech! [1]
Directly from the organizers Facebook page :
This will be a PEACEFUL protest in front of the Islamic Community Center in Phoenix AZ. This is in response to the recent attack in Texas where 2 armed terrorists, with ties to ISIS, attempted Jihad. Everyone is encouraged to bring American Flags and any message that you would like to send to the known acquaintances of the 2 gunmen. This Islamic Community Center is a known place that the 2 terrorist frequented. People are also encouraged to utilize there second amendment right at this event just in case our first amendment comes under the much anticipated attack. [sic]
What I understood
So bring your cardboard sign and your guns in preparation for total war. Given the circumstances of the event I can’t believe there will be any resistance, although I am sure it will garner a fair bit of controversy.
Speaking of controversy. The most common criticism I have come across in relation to similar events is that they appear to be more about provoking some sort of aggressive confrontation than any actual belief in expression or in freedom of speech. In all honesty, it’s a hard argument to dismiss and, for the most part, I suspect it is likely the truth. Lets take a look at the Garland incident, a small group hosts a event suitably titled the ‘Jihad watch – Muhammad art exhibit and cartoon contest’. The event consisted of no less then 40 well armed men and women guarding a week old 8 x 11 doodle of Muhammad riding a unicycle. Reminiscent of a mouse trap.[2]
Regardless of the intent, what does this say about the current state of the western world? The host of the event is a women named Pamela Geller. When she was asked if she now has any regrets in retrospect she was quoted as saying that
“…those that were going to be slaughtered” by the gunmen are now being maligned by critics and excoriated by the press. This “speaks to how morally inverted this conversation is”
Pretty much. If I were a dubious man I would suspect that the freedom to make this point was likely the purpose of the entire event to begin with.
You see, freedom of speech has become a straw man issue standing in place of a much bigger problem, a problem we’re all afraid to deal with directly. The western world is suffering from an ever increasing divide, a realization that our cultural differences and beliefs are becoming insurmountable. One man’s fun night out with like-minded individuals is another man’s call for mass slaughter. The dreams of a melting pot utopia all singing the star spangled banner is fast turning to dust, leaving only increasingly segregated clans of people nervously, desperately, awaiting a violent future.
So when I hear about a group of bikers getting together to wave Muhammad cartoons around while flashing what is sure to be some impressive pee-shooters, I suspect it’s likely that none of them give two shits about Muhammad, Islam, Terrorism, ISIS etc. All I see is their rage, the rage of knowing everything they and those before them have built and held dear is being slowly stripped away, like the shore eroding a mountain. To be replaced by what?
