Monday, April 04, 2011

Free Speech vs. Rev. Terry Jones

What a triumph for free speech!  Our courts defend the rights of corporations to behave as “persons” in their spending orgy to finance political candidates, Fred Phelps and his cult can protest at funerals of anyone because “God hates America”, and trailer park pastor Terry Jones can burn a Koran and insight murder in Afghanistan.  What a wonderful gift our founding fathers gave us that allows the current state of affairs!

Well I am a big advocate of free speech, but that extends only so far.  Consider the man who yells “fire” in a crowded theater.  That is not protected speech, it is just plain dangerous and potentially lethal.  So why is it any different from the trailer park prophet whose actions have inflamed the masses in Afghanistan and have been cited as the cause of the killings of now upwards of 20 people including American soldiers?

For the life of me I don’t know, but I do know that he needs to sit down and shut up.  Jones latest despicable publicity stunt is putting the Prophet Muhammad “on trial”. Never mind what kind of court and who will be the judge, it’s just plain egregious for him to continue to try to gain publicity at the expense of other people’s lives.  Jones may be a bigot and a hick, but he is not an idiot.  He knows full well what any more of his hi-jinks will cause and he relishes it. 

Driven by what I imagine is some kind of twisted “end times” scenario, I suspect Pastor Jones wants to hasten the apocalypse in any way he can.  After all it eventually leads to the reign of Jesus, right?  So I guess in his sick mind the ends justify the means, and so what if a few dozen, or hundred or thousand people get slaughtered because of his stunts?  I suspect he would say something to the effect of “kill them all and let God sort them out.”

Meanwhile the press is whipping the whole thing up into an even bigger media event.  Jones, not to waste the momentum is heading to Dearborn, MI, home to the one of the largest concentrations of  Muslim citizens.  He plans to stage a protest at a huge mosque there and doubtless will cause a stir.  That is his intent, I suspect, to get people hurt in an attempt to prove that Muslims are dangerous people.

Sadly, when the American’s who have been killed in Afghanistan over Rev. Jones stunt return home, their funerals will undoubtedly be picketed by the Phelps clan and the Westboro Baptist Church!  Makes you proud we live in such a free country, don’t it?

5 comments:

Doug A. said...

I agree heshould not be burning the book another religion considers sacred, but at the same time the UN personnel that were murdered purportedly in reaction to this is equally wrong. In my faith as a Christian we are to love each other and not cause our brothers to fall. Neither Phelps nor Jones fullfill what Jesus preached. Sadly, the alleged murderers, claiming they were incited to these crimes in Afghanistan by something an idiot did in Florida ARE fulfilling the Quran command to "kill the infidel." IMO.

Anonymous said...

Good for Rev.Jones. Burn them all. Then while the flames are soring - lead the rag heads into the damed eternety. As God would have sent David into the village to destroy all.

Anonymous said...

My comment has been saved and will be visible after blog owner approval. SO MUCH FOR FREEDOM OF SPEACH.

Hardy Haberman said...

And the hate-filled and frankly silly comment above is why I moderate comments. There is far too much hate online already.

Anonymous said...

In as much as I find shouting "fire" in a theater both offensive and scary, I also find the supposed "Christian" groups of Fred Phelps and Terry Jones offensive and scary. Their antics will further anarchy and chaos in our world.

But on the other hand, I have extremely worrisome feelings about far future troubles with extremist Islamic organizations which would be perfectly happy if the rest of the world died a violent death.

They are all criminals, and need to pay for their crimes.

richard h.
fort worth, texas, usa