I think we might be seeing a morphing of the Cartoon Crisis into one of SECDEF’s “Unknown Unknowns.” There is a basic irreconcilable difference in Western and Islamic culture when it comes to freedom. Speech, religion; pick you choice. We don’t see whey they don’t understand ugly satire as a cornerstone of all freedoms’ they don’t understand why a government doesn’t or shouldn’t control their press. They see the actions of an individual as one with the government; the West’s ideal is to see the essential separation of the two as a core by product of the refined maturity of The Enlightenment.
The middle ground, so essential to resolving any dispute is fading right before our eyes. Karzai, the Iraqi government. Western leaning Arabs are bein thrown in jail for asking for moderation; native born European Muslims feel the need to leave for more comfortable areas; British police are afraid to hold Muslims to the same standards as everyone else, and even the Left is calling for a crackdown.
There is the rub. The West is at war with the Islamic fringe. The Western Muslims are few, the middle easily swayed by radical Imams by both of their ill-education and lack of access to free thought. The West has close to 200,000 troops making fragile progress in the center of the Islamic cultural failures of Iraq and Afghanistan. Our success is really on the support of the Western leaning Muslim leaders and the middle that they can take with them with the promise of a better life and freedom.
As we know, religion can cause radicalism. If the madness spreads to IQ and AF (as it is starting) and the civilian Muslim leaders cross the fence in order to ensure their own survival – we have potential for another Retreat from Kabul on a massive scale. Throw Iran’s nuke nightmare brewing in the mix, and, well, what can you say? The Butterfly Effect, indeed.
So, what do you do? Press controls? No. Self-censorship? (No, Dhimmi, that is not what free people do). “Hate” laws? No, even the UK sees the folly in that. Appeasement? No. That doesn’t work. Tough nut.
So far, one of the better tones has come from German Chancellor Merkel. The US State Dept is running scared.
Long term, everyone better get on board with this concept. I’m sold.
You can almost hear the seams ripping. Maybe this will die down. Odds are it will. I don’t know though. The Islamic fundamentalists are getting way too much bang for the buck. The petty apologies coming from some of the weaker Western nations is just feeding them, the Cartoon Crisis is a great way to keep the Arab masses distracted from their corrupt culture and government. History is a b1tch. Harumph.
Affect - Effect - OK, mefixie. I didn't know so many N1s read my blog....
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