What do you guys think?

I feel that the paper had a right to publish but I am sceptical about their
reasons for publishing. Just because you have the freedom to do or say
certain things doesn't make it OK to exercise that right in any way you see
fit. For instance I wouldn't like it for any one to exercise his right to
free speech by calling me a monkey nigger(harsh eh?). Some things are just
morally wrong and equally insensitive.

Was it their aim to create controversy? Probably. I find it difficult to
believe otherwise. I cant see any thing positive resulting from publishing a
cartoon depicting the prophet as a terrorist(I am referring to the cartoon
drawn with him having a bomb with it's fuse lit for a turban)? Especially
considering everything that is going on in the world today between 'the west'
and middle eastern countries. That is just wrong.

Strive for peace,
Clifton

P.S On a more lighter note......birds are chirping outside my
window.....cool :)



CA, love your conclusion. I concur, cool. Monkey nigger doesn't quite work, doesn't quite sting though. Maybe the nigger part but not the monkey part because monkeys are actually quite beautiful with extremely pleasing personalities and extremely bright smiles.

Is this the cartoon which set off the rioting? I'd been wanting to get an up-close of this whole conflict. Interestingly though, it has lit the fuses of Moslems. I saw them on TV, so many and so violent, I found it frightening. I had Moslem friends at Memphis State though, who taught me to be intent, serious about a cause. It is their energy I suppose, in my very first book, Bicentennial Blues.

I was Commissioner for International Students in MSU's Student Government and represented their concerns as well as all the other intl. students' and went out on a limb whenever necessary - even to the point of being asked by authorities to leave the USA. How I've changed, or have I? Suppose I'm still a justice seeker.

Moslem fervor though, I do find startling, frightening. They're seldom prepared to laugh things off. I remember them wanting Salman Rushdie dead for The Satanic Verses which I have read and did find sacrilegious and very well written but no more sacrilegious than James Joyce's Ulysses but I don't remember the pope or any other Christian head making much of a fuss about it except that for many years it was banned in the USA as was D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Loves - made into a film not long ago and I'm glad to say, I do have a copy and love it.