Free speech without borders
The Organization of Islamic Conference, the Saudi-based religious body that first condemned the inflammatory depictions of Muhammad in a Danish newspaper, has stirred up extraordinary unrest, setting off what the Danish foreign minister calls "a growing global crisis that has the potential to escalate beyond the control of governments." On February 4th, the Conference described the publication of the cartoons as blasphemous, noting that blasphemy is a crime punishable by death, according to "Sharia law."The Conference's goal of intimidating the global press has been widely, and sadly, achieved. With the exception of a couple courageous newspapers like the Philadelphia Inquirer, a virtual blackout of the cartoons is in effect across America. Even within the context of explaining the controversy, editors have largely chosen to describe the pictures with words. (Let's hope it's at least a thousand.) Now the Conference is pressuring the U.N. to "criminalize insults to Islam and its prophet," and our own former president, one Bill Clinton, is urging Denmark to convict the publishers of the caricatures.
What I hope is being considered in response to this terrorist threat is the sheer practicality of surrendering free speech rights across the globe to a population that's offended by women wearing pants. Where are the liberals in speaking out this month for the fundamental right of expression in this case? Many were bold enough to see Bush's war in Iraq for the fraud that it was in advancing Western ideals and demonstrating our resolve, but this struggle should cut to the core of our principles, just as did the physical attack within our borders. I speak for my own moral relativism when I acknowledge its limits at the enslavement of women, torturing of gays, and slaughtering of innocents. Nobody should be jailed or punished on the basis of their ideas or their perogative to express them. Period. Not newspaper publishers in Denmark. Not war protesters in America. Not political dissidents in China. Not Holocaust deniers in Austria. And not religious reformers in the Middle East.
I don't post pictures, but here's a link to the controversial cartoons. Decide for yourself. That's the point.
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Now a major gear switch, back to the topic of television: The media onslaught is underway in advance of "The Sopranos'" sixth and penultimate season, beginning March 12th. Sunday's New York Times has this compelling preview.
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The long-awaited "Strangers With Candy" movie, based on the Comedy Central TV series of the same name, and produced by David Letterman's company, Worldwide Pants, has at last found a distributor. Expect a late June/early July theatrical release.
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It's been months since I drew your attention to an injury by a Cubs' pitcher, so I'm overdue. A reliable baseball blog tells us that, despite contradicting team reports, Mark Prior is having shoulder problems. He's on the same mound routine he was on last spring when his Achilles was acting up, and the "best sources in Mesa" say he looks "weak and sick."
If you read further down in the link, you saw that the Cubs' other brittle starter, Kerry Wood, is expected to report back to the team rotation in May, rather than to a second career out of the team bullpen. It's their funeral. I respect that the team believes in Wood's stopper mentality, but his arm is crying out to be rescued. The one-time phenom turns 29 this year. It's time to turn the page.
posted by CM @ 4:20 PM
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