"Slippery Slope to Hell" - Commentary by Tony Seton

Slippery Slope to Hell

Altogether too many politicians and news editors are supplicating before the Muslim crackpots who take umbrage at the caricaturing of their major religious figure. According to the Muslims, if you make an image of the prophet, you could slide down the slippery slope of idolatry. Instead you should merely worship him blindly and blow up as many innocent civilians as possible.

In Afghanistan, eight protestors have been shot to death as authorities attempted to stop crowds from destroying peacekeeping missions. Read that sentence again, slowly. The Afghans, remember, were liberated (cough, cough) after living under the Taliban who believed that music and dancing were sinful, as was photography, as were women. These were the people who blew up the 2500-year-old statues of Buddha in the face of global condemnation.

Why on god’s green earth -- that’s small-g-god, the generic version -- does anything these sociopaths say mean a whit to a sentient being? Good question. Unfortunately, the voices of the West are dominated by people who eschew clear thinking like savantless idiots. The faux liberal multi-culturalists have gotten in bed with the neo-con pols, and both are making obfuscatory hay where the sun won’t shine.

Don’t offend, say the editors of the liberal -- yeah, right -- media. Be responsible, says Bush-Lite. Lie down, roll over, play dead, as you have for the past twenty-five years. You’re there to color commentate the naked emperor’s parade. (Oh, but we already have Democrats.)

The media have been groveling for so long -- having access is more important to them than is reporting the truth; ask Judy Miller -- that they’ve lost track of their very purpose. I mean, how can they say with a straight face that they are so sensitive that they won’t publish pictures that they’re talking about? It isn’t sensitive, it’s mindless. Their readers and viewers aren’t in the Arab world; they’re Americans and Europeans, the vast majority of whom wouldn’t be offended and should be enlightened about the controversy.

Consider the people who say they are offended. They are rabble of the most dejected sort, roused by malevolent forces who would use their tiny perverted minds to commit mayhem and murder. For what purpose? To prevent idiolatry or to staff a campaign of brutal insanity? The fact is that these cartoons were published back in September in a Danish paper. They were printed in some European papers last month. So why are these crazies screaming about killing Americans? That’s not even close to sanity, and those who abide it by calling on editors to be sensitive and responsible when neither is an issue abet it.

It doesn’t matter that some Muslims think it’s wrong to show an image of their prophet. That’s not the case in the West. We don’t tell editors in Riyadh or Jakarta or Tehran what to publish. It’s none of our business and none of theirs.

Should women in the United States be required to wear black from head to foot because that’s what Muslims believe? Should American women be prohibited from driving cars because that’s the way it is in Saudi Arabia? Should American children have their limbs broken so they can be more effective street beggars because that’s what they do in India? Should American young girls be sold as sex slaves because that’s what they do in Thailand?

With all our macho posturing, it’s time America stood up for its founding principles and told countries, groups and individuals that they are welcome to conduct themselves according to the often-primitive beliefs in their own society but Don’t Tread on Me. It would be nice if our political leaders and editors were in the front lines on this one, but apparently they, with all too few exceptions, are more interested in making nice than in demonstrating what it really means to be an American.

And that’s SetonnoteS...I’m Tony Seton.