State Department Blasts Cartoons

The illustrious US government is blasting those cartoons running in European newspapers that make mention of Muhammed, on the grounds that they incite religious hatreds. A State Department spokesman is quoted, "We call for tolerance and respect for all communities and for their religious beliefs and practices." Apparently the call for tolerance does not extend to the crazies who are causing such an uproar over cartoon panels in newspapers. I guess the rioters don't need to be tolerant of non-Muslim beliefs. Tolerance only goes one way?

We're talking about people who riot in the streets, with deadly results, because of a newspaper report that someone mishandled a Qu'ran. Now they riot because of a drawing. I mean, come on now. Grow up! If you want to be taken seriously, stop overreacting to every little thing. If you want us to stop thinking you are crazy, stop acting crazy.

And to the State Department, let's stop pretending these rioters are anything more than grossly overreacting, hyper-sensitive nuts. Christians in this country protest (peacefully) against a TV show that offends their sensibilities, and we treat them like fools. Muslims riot in the streets, burn flags, and threaten death because of a few drawings, and we should be more sensitive? No, we should tell them to grow up and stop acting like little children stomping their feet to assert their will.

Michelle Malkin gives a little summary of what we're talking about here.

Early Friday, Palestinian militants threw a bomb at a French cultural center in Gaza City, and many Palestinians began boycotting European goods, especially those from Denmark.

"Whoever defames our prophet should be executed," said Ismail Hassan, 37, a tailor who marched through the pouring rain along with hundreds of others in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

"Bin Laden our beloved, Denmark must be blown up," protesters in Ramallah chanted.

In mosques throughout Palestinian cities, clerics condemned the cartoons. An imam at the Omari Mosque in Gaza City told 9,000 worshippers that those behind the drawings should have their heads cut off.

"If they want a war of religions, we are ready," Hassan Sharaf, an imam in Nablus, said in his sermon.

About 10,000 demonstrators, including gunmen from the Islamic militant group Hamas firing in the air, marched through Gaza City to the Palestinian legislature, where they climbed on the roof, waving green Hamas banners.

"We are ready to redeem you with our souls and our blood our beloved prophet," they chanted. "Down, Down Denmark."

In face of this, our government says that we should just be more sensitive? This is how we conduct foreign policy now?