The Scrutinator

In case you haven't heard, a series of cartoons critical of Islam, published in a Denmark paper, are causing outrage around the militant Islamic world.

What we're seeing is the clash of civilizations. Western civilization values (supposedly) free speech, and allows disagreement and criticism without bloodshed. Barbarism doesn't.

Which do you choose? What are you willing to pay for that choice?

Many are upset with the US State Department for saying, essentially, "we don't want any trouble, ok?"

Many, like blogger Atlas Shrugs, have been sounding the clarion for some time. Her tagline: Western civilization hangs in the balance. ... Get your heads out of the sand and Fight the Great Fight. The Jew may be the canary in the coal mine, but you my friends will be the next. If you're not part of the solution, you are the problem. See her reporting.

Blogger Gates of Vienna: At the siege of Vienna in 1683 Islam seemed poised to overrun Christian Europe. We are in a new phase of a very old war.

Way too much to read, but here's a smattering.

• Michelle Malkin leads the pack covering the story. Asks us to buy Danish.
• Muslim double-standards. Tim Blair: "Odd that this concern over maintaining the peace doesn’t limit Muslim commentary on other religions or communities." Atlas Shrugs shows us a few of the anti-western Arabic cartoons that run daily. Brit Hume via Michelle Malkin.
• Published in September/October: why the rage now? And how did all the Danish flags suddenly materialize for burning in Gaza and elsewhere? Powerline points us to answers.
• Silence and hypocracy of the political left. Michelle Malkin, Tiger Hawk.
• Via Michelle Malkin: The real cartoons not quite bad enough? Make up a few.
• Powerline points us to perspective on free speech.
• CNN suddenly respects all religions Islam. (2/8: More.)
• Apparently, it's not just any depiction of the Prophet Mohammed that draws holocaust threats.

Update 2/8: Apparently, the cartoons were printed in an Egyptian paper back in October: "during Ramadan, for all the egyptian muslim population to see, and not a single squeak of outrage was present."

File under double standards: NPR's Daniel Schorr: "Maybe a cartoon that may inflame millions should be described but not shown." (From the intro page: "In times of tension, First Amendment rights may give way to other interests.") Really? Where was his voice of caution when the Abu Ghraib photos, meeting his criteria, were being published?

The MSM excuses round-up, courtesy National Review's Media Blog.

Update, 2/12: Glenn Reynolds:

My beliefs are offended when gangs of ignorant thugs burn embassies, and where is the respect for my beliefs? Do I need to burn embassies to get respect for my beliefs? Because that's the message CNN sends. The message they send is, We will reward violence. And you're going to get more of what you reward, that's how it works.

Update, 3/29: Check out this T-shirt.

Update, 4/13: Comedy Central wins a new name: Cowardly Central.

By The Scrutinator @ 1:15 PM