Freedom of expression forces cartoonist to go ghost

Ethel C. Fenig "...The gifted artist is alive and well, thankfully. But on the insistence of top security specialists at the FBI, she is, as they put it, "going ghost": moving, changing her name, and essentially wiping away her identity. She will no longer be publishing cartoons in our paper or in City Arts magazine, where she has been a regular contributor. She is, in effect, being put into a witness-protection program-except, as she notes, without the government picking up the tab. It's all because of the appalling fatwa issued against her this summer, following her infamous "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" cartoon." Background here.

U.S. Supreme Court depicts Muhammad  "While Muslims engaged in violent protests worldwide over caricatures of Muhammad have insisted any image of their prophet is considered blasphemous, a prominent frieze in the U.S. Supreme Court portrays the Islamic leader wielding a sword.

"The stone sculptures of 18 lawgivers, from Hammurabi to John Marshall, are meant to signify the law's foundation in a stable society. Included is Moses with the Ten Commandments."

Obama’s Washington Animal Farm

Victor Davis Hanson"Obama, the supposedly savvy politician, oddly has little appreciation of the psychology of business. Millions of job creators still have only a vague idea of the net effect of Obama’s policies — except that they will probably mean less profits, and they are being enacted in a punitive spirit for past sins."

History and War: An Interview with Victor Davis Hanson

John Hawkins  Hawkins:" America's media seems at times to be ambivalent, even to the point of being hostile toward our military and efforts to win the war on terrorism. Can you talk about other times in history that's happened and what the results of it have been?"

Hanson: "I think if we were to go back to England and France between 1920 and take an arbitrary date — 1936 — it was politically incorrect to evoke Verdun. The Battle of Verdun was not mentioned in the school system. By the same token, those who wanted to re-arm in Britain were accused of trying to evoke these ghosts of the Somme. The media wanted to condition the British public to the notion that any other war would end in the nightmare of the trenches. So, it was much better to use the arts of appeasement — which wasn't a dirty word. It was a positive word that meant you were willing to avoid a blood bath in the trenches. The result of that, of course, was the serial aggrandizement of Germany from 1936 to 1939."

Bob Lang cartoon

The Buckley Rule; Pro and Con

Charles Krauthammer "Bill Buckley — no Mike Castle he — had a rule: Support the most conservative candidate who is electable."....
"Castle wasn’t only electable. He was unbeatable. Why do you think Beau Biden, long groomed to inherit his father’s seat, flinched from running? Because Castle, who had already won statewide races a dozen times, scared him off. Democrats had already given up on the race.
"O’Donnell, a lifelong activist who has twice lost statewide races, is very problematic. It is not that the Republican establishment denigrates her chances — virtually every nonpartisan electoral analyst from Charlie Cook to Larry Sabato to Stuart Rothenberg has her losing in November."

The Limbaugh Rule   "It waters down and destroys the brands of Republicanism, and we end being blamed for liberal policies because our guys vote for it.  The Limbaugh Rule is if you got a liberal or a conservative running, you vote the conservative.  Period! End of story.  But who knows who's "electable"?  This was any point.  The "Buckley Rule" that these guys are all quoting -- and, by the way, half of these people quoting the Buckley rule couldn't carry his typewriter."

Jimmy Carter Slams Ted Kennedy (Updated)

CBS News "Former President Jimmy Carter tells Lesley Stahl Americans would've had comprehensive health care for decades had Ted Kennedy not killed his bill. Sunday, Sept. 19, 7 p.m. ET/PT."
They tease us with only this much.

Why Carter dissed Kennedy  "The interview proved that Carter is desperate to be credited with something – anything, be it health care reform, or as the architect of a never adopted, money-saving energy conservation program. For many reasons, Jimmy Carter’s presidency was, and is still, considered abysmal. Yet at this late date a departed senator could redeem Jimmy’s forlorn legacy.
"President Carter’s truthful “60 Minutes” expose of Kennedy’s willingness to “kill” to advance a political career has shed new light on Mr. Poucha Pond's malicious nature and could turn out to be the most glorious political achievement of Carter’s fifty-year career." Jeannie DeAngelis

Figures. Obama Drops “Creator” From Declaration of Independence

Gateway Pundit  "What a shock. Barack Obama dropped “that are endowed by our Creator” from the Declaration of Independence in a speech he gave this past week."

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness..."

Chuck Asay, Townhall 

Enough Already with Reverend Jones

Victor Davis Hanson "We are reaching the point where the damage done to America’s image by 50 book-burners is outweighed by the damage done by hypersensitivity on the part of the United States government, which hopes to assuage the hurt feelings of those abroad who equate that tiny number with our culture at large — often in an abjectly hypocritical fashion. We know where this leads — to endless efforts to micromanage all elements of American life to protect the sensitivities of those who, by act and deed, are far more intolerant of different religions and cultures."

The Strange — and Tragic — Case of Nagla Imam

Raymond Ibrahim "...As for her personal situation, approximately two weeks ago, state security arrested and took Nagla to a government building in Cairo. There, a top official twisted the crucifix she was wearing, tightening the chain around her neck, while saying "the cross will be the death of you." The official then proceeded to beat her — giving her a black eye, a bruised body, and broken teeth. Before releasing her, he said, "Stay in your house, till you are carried out to your grave," adding that, if she does not return to Islam, "people" will be dispatched to "take care of her."....
"Postscript: Last we heard, Nagla and her children have completely disappeared, bringing back the government official's threat to mind — that "people" could be sent to "take care of her." "
Raymond Ibrahim is the associate director of the Middle East Forum, the author of The Al Qaeda Reader, and a guest lecturer at the National Defense Intelligence College.

D’Souza to Obama with Malice

Forbes  "Ultimately, D’Souza’s rumination reveals less about how Obama thinks and more about how D’Souza thinks. It shows not that Obama is motivated by malice toward America, but D’Souza is motivated by malice toward Obama. How pathetic."  Shikha Dalmia is a senior analyst at Reason Foundation and a Forbes columnist. 
This is a counterpoint to an article posted here on Sept 9th.

The Myth of Conservative Vulnerability

Dick Morris and Eileen McGann "This week's primary victories of Christine O'Donnell in Delaware and Joe DioGuardi in New York illustrate how the tea party is cleansing the Republican Party and installing true believers over professional politicians. It is a healthy trend that will continue to recreate the Party of Reagan.
"But the conventional media, instead of hailing this trend, warns that conservatives cannot be elected ..."

Bob Gorrell, Townhall