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“The Jesus Cartoons”

Allah, at Hot Air:

Another American university tackles free speech, and everyone involved embarrasses themselves — except the conservatives. A parable for our times.

World Net Daily broke the news yesterday that a far-left student newspaper at the University of Oregon — called “The Insurgent” appropriately enough — decided to publish 12 deliberately offensive cartoons of Jesus in their March issue. Why? Because the Oregon Commentator, a conservative student newspaper at U of O, recently published the 12 Jyllands-Posten cartoons of Mohammed. The Insurgent wanted Christians to know what it felt like to have their religion insulted.

Because, really, what would Christians know about something like that?

These days, standard operating procedure in any campus free speech fracas calls for (a) offended students to whine about the injury done to their dainty sensibilities, followed by (b) third-party defenses of the offensive material for all the wrong reasons, resulting in (c) equivocation and/or outright censorship by the university administration, and hopefully ending with (d) the threat of a lawsuit by FIRE for all the right reasons. You’ll be happy to know with respect to the Jesus cartoons that the first three stages are already complete.

Allah goes on to outline the specifics of what is becoming an all too familiar (painfully so, I’m afraid, for readers of this here blog, who’ve had to listen to me belabor the points on a near-daily basis for years) method of protest, so I won’t add much to his thorough post (he has even posted one of the offending cartoons, and rightly so) except to say that, predicatably, the grimy fingerprints of identity politics are once again smeared all over this story.

And most troubling (at least to me) is that we are beginning to see ostensible conservatives validating this progressive protest methodology, so invested are they in their own identity politicking (in this case, protecting their own religious convictions from ridicule).

Capitulating to the new PC tolerance—and make no mistake, that is what is happening here, whether the surrender is an unconcious one brought on by the systemic undermining of classical liberal thought by the collectivist precepts of progressive philosophy, or whether it is a pragmatic response intended to coopt those precepts for conservative use—is anathema to classical liberalism and free speech, especially insofar as it serves to validate the very notion of identity politics that so troubles individualism and individual (as opposed to group) rights.

So while it may feel good to fight fire with fire, in the long run, such a strategy works only to spread the illiberal conflagration. 

While what we should be doing is throwing a blanket over the whole thing.

52 Replies to ““The Jesus Cartoons””

  1. Dan Collins says:

    Catholic Dan the Mick: Leave fekkin’ Jesus alone!

    *shakes fist*

  2. Dan Collins says:

    Jeff–

    May I have a tumbleweed, please?

  3. Old Dad says:

    Jeff,

    Don’t know if “throw a blanket over it” means the same thing as pull the plug, but if it does, count me in.

    I’d pull every red cent of public funding from all student organizations. Free speech is expensive. We should all pay to play.

    As my sainted mother once told me, “you’re free to have a filthy mouth, but I won’t feed it.”

  4. shank says:

    Jeff, can you hear that noise?  It’s the sound of your readership beating it’s head against a brick wall. 

    Or, at least this reader anyways.

  5. Lew Clark says:

    I was offended by the cartoons!  So I did what really smart people do when they are offended.  I spend 5 minutes in my offendedness, in private, then went back to more important things!

  6. Cutler says:

    Because, dude, Conservatives are Christians, unlike those guys holding political rallies in black churches.

    Yeah, good luck with that electorate guys…

  7. kyle says:

    Oh man…here it comes.  I give it another 12, maybe 24 hours till those Christians start strappin’ on the semtex vests.  THEIR MESSIAH HAS BEEN DISHONORED!  SWIFT VENGEANCE MUST FOLLOW!

    What?  No death threats from them?  No calls for a boycott?  Not even a friggin’ dry ice bomb in a 2-liter Coke bottle?  Hmmmm…

  8. used to it says:

    Damn. And Christians can’t issue fatwas.  What are we gonna do, pray for them?

    BECAUSE OF THE LOVE!!

  9. used to it says:

    Kyle, you beat me to it, but all I’m going to do is keep you in my prayers, OK?

  10. So I guess those folks have never heard that Jesus is also a Muslim prophet, and that some of the jihadis have also sworn dire vengeance over “offenses” against him?

  11. prozacula says:

    whether the surrender is an unconcious one brought on by the systemic undermining of classical liberal thought by the collectivist precepts of progressive philosophy, or whether it is a pragmatic response intended to coopt those precepts for conservative use—is anathema to classical liberalism and free speech, especially insofar as it serves to validate the very notion of identity politics that so troubles individualism and individual (as opposed to group) rights.

    man, I can almost see you jerking off while you wrote this.  your writing is circlejerk material for all your winger followers.  the people that can paste a couple of sentences together think you are real smartlike when you use big words to put down liberals.

    this is just barely-masked racism.  nothing new from the bigotted, jingoist, racist, hate and bile-filled right!

  12. prozacula says:

    yeah, kyle, no conservative christian has ever blown up or threatened violence against any-

    wait, nevermind.

    timothy mcveigh

    eric rudolph

    james charles kopp

    randall terry

    anthrax coulter

    gary demar

    michael ‘savage’ weiner

    kkk

    posse comitatus

    jerry falwell

    pat robertson

    but then, you would probably just say ‘these people are not representative of christians’, unlike someone who does the same thing, but happens to be muslim.

    just one more nail in the coffin of your logic.

  13. matt says:

    You have to keep the source of these latest cartoons in perspective.  “The Insurgent” is just another college kiddy rag, populated by immature writers and editors following the same tired, cookie-cutter script of thousands of other “we’re different; we’re cutting edge” wannabe college rag writters and editors.  The only slight difference is that the Insurgents’ writers and editors are more open about giving their homo-erotic inner yearnings more public free rein.  The sad truth is, the writers and editors at “The Insurgents” are fundamentally sniggering cowards, and shallow, cliche-ridden ones at that, from the Beavis and Butthead school of journalism.

  14. JFH says:

    Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson (idiots as they are) advocated violence against non-believers?  Sources, please.  McVeighn wasn’t a religious terrorist.  Rudolph and Copp’s actions were roundly condemned by Christian leaders, as have they on the KKK’s actions.

    Coulter and Savage aren’t religious in any Christian sense in their commentary…

    So what’s your point?

  15. Darleen says:

    Oh for heaven’s sake. Prozacula is on break from his Markos twink duties?

  16. prozacula, you could fruitfully learn the difference between crime and war.

    [Deuteronomy 7:1-2]

    [Deuteronomy 20:10-17]

    [Numbers 31:17-18]

    Strong stuff, right?  Just as bad as “slay the unbelievers wherever you find them” (Qur’an 9:5) and “Therefore, when ye meet the unbelievers in fight, smite at their necks; at length, when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly on them” (Qur’an 47:4) and all the rest, right?

    Wrong.  Unless you happen to be a Hittite, Girgashite, Amorite, Canaanite, Perizzite, Hivite, or Jebusite, these Biblical passages simply do not apply to you.  The Qur’an exhorts believers to fight unbelievers without specifying anywhere in the text that only certain unbelievers are to be fought, or only for a certain period of time, or some other distinction.  Taking the texts at face value, the command to make war against unbelievers is open-ended and universal.  The Old Testament, in contrast, records God’s commands to the Israelites to make war againt particular people only.  This is jarring to modern sensibilities, to be sure, but it does not amount to the same thing.

    That’s one reason why Jews and Christians haven’t formed terror groups around the world that quote these Scriptures to justify killing civilian non-combatants.

    — Robert Spencer, _The Politically Incorrect Guide To Islam_, 2005

    You can cling to the McVeigh-did-it-too-so-there’s-nothing-to-worry-about-from-Muslims meme too long, you know.

  17. I don’t get it. I’ve seen a couple of these quasi-parodies depicting Jesus, but all of them miss the point. The Muhammad cartoons all had editorial value, whether Muslims want to admit it or not, because Muslims are currently running around blowing themselves up. The “editorial” cartoons about Jesus are just intended to be insulting.

  18. Defenseman Emeritus says:

    Neat, prozacula, you were able to name eleven isolated incidents. And by your logic that’s an apples-to-apples comparison with the literally millions of Muslims who rioted in the streets of the Third World following the Mohammed cartoon flap. No wonder no one takes you seriously.

  19. in the name of all that is holey says:

    Well, there ARE Vatican pronouncements that mention capital punishment, so how is that very different from Muslim death-fatwas?

    T/W really, as in come on.

  20. noah says:

    I thought Jeff banned prozaculiar?

  21. noah says:

    I guess there is some entertainment value of the fever swamp variety.

  22. Benon Sevan says:

    Lew Clark sez:

    I was offended by the cartoons!  So I did what really smart people do when they are offended.  I spend 5 minutes in my offendedness, in private, then went back to more important things!

    Lew, buddy. How is Jesus going to get by if you don’t channel your outrage into murdering people who blaspheme His Holy Name?

    Come on, buddy! Get with the program! There are infidels heathens out there that aren’t going to kill themselves.

  23. docob says:

    man, I can almost see you jerking off while you wrote this.  your writing is circlejerk material for all your winger followers

    Prozacula’s obsession becomes more understandable when one takes into account the fact that he’s the Kos Kid’s resident fluff boy.

  24. alppuccino says:

    Jesus came to me in a dream and told me that prozacula was a bipolar chick.

    or maybe it was Kenny Loggins.

  25. TODD says:

    Prozacula

    You need to step back and take a deep breath fella. All that so called tolerance you have might make your head explode… Fucktard…..

  26. alex says:

    whether the surrender is an unconcious one brought on by the systemic undermining of classical liberal thought by the collectivist precepts of progressive philosophy, or whether it is a pragmatic response intended to coopt those precepts for conservative use—is anathema to classical liberalism and free speech, especially insofar as it serves to validate the very notion of identity politics that so troubles individualism and individual (as opposed to group) rights.

    man, I can almost see you jerking off while you wrote this.  your writing is circlejerk material for all your winger followers.  the people that can paste a couple of sentences together think you are real smartlike when you use big words to put down liberals.

    this is just barely-masked racism.  nothing new from the bigotted, jingoist, racist, hate and bile-filled right!

    O, I’m getting a head-ache. Let’s tick the boxes for ‘you’re an blind ideologue and I’m not’, ‘Long words frighten me’, and (last but not least–and my personal favorite!) ‘Racist!’ (in case of intellectual incapacity, break glass!).

    Is there a single damn ‘dissenting voice’ on this site that could pass a Turing test?

  27. tim maguire says:

    I would like him to expand on the racism and the hate filled bile accusations. Unfortunately, there is no explanation because explanation requires meaning. This is more of an “insert insult here” thing.

    And if “anathema to classical liberalism and free speech, especially insofar as it serves to validate the very notion of identity politics”…etc.” is jingoism, then we really need to work on our jingos.

  28. Eddie Austerwitz says:

    To quote the words of the man himself: “Father, forgive them, for they don’t have the foggiest notion of what they’re doing.”

  29. Dan Collins says:

    What’s the dude’s problem with circle-jerks, anyway?  Missionaryist bastard.

  30. Great Mencken's Ghost! says:

    far-left student newspaper at the University of Oregon — called “The Insurgent” appropriately enough — decided to publish 12 deliberately offensive cartoons of Jesus in their March issue.

    Or as we like to call it, reruns…

  31. TallDave4 says:

    As a Christian, I’m deeply offended by this obscene mockery of my Lord and Savior.  So in response, I’m going to unleash my religion’s most powerful weapon:

    I forgive them.

  32. OHNOES says:

    *Takes hat off to TD4*

    Turing word “low”, as in “*And bows low to the ground.*”

  33. David Block says:

    I think prozacula really NEEDS that prozac.

    TD4, excellent.

  34. lee says:

    man, I can almost see you jerking off while you wrote this.

    Thats quite the rich fantasy world you live in prozac-boy. Might I suggest you get a boyfriend and join the real world.

    Incidently, the prozac doesn’t seem to be handling whatever mental imbalance you are experiancing, you should think about having your doctor re-proscribe something a bit stronger.

    TW:by the way, you are a REAL asshole.

  35. Blind Howling Moonbat says:

    I would like him to expand on the racism and the hate filled bile accusations.

    When a member of the Christian race is mean to a member of the Muslim race it sucks, because mean people suck.  Now do you understand?

  36. Great Mencken's Ghost says:

    Of course, it would be a hoot if we went by the Insurgent’s offices and lived down to their expectations.  Imagine the looks on their faces…

  37. Jon says:

    As a alum of Oregon State University (in Corvallis), it is really no surprise that the granola eating hippies in the fever-swamp of Eugene decide to go off half-cocked (pardon the pun) against the vile Christian religion.

    It is sad, that they know not what they do, and as TD4 example says, may the full force of Christ’s most powerful weapon be aligned against them, and perhaps a bit of a Damascus experience as well.

    Peace.

  38. Tim McNabb says:

    I am a certified Jesus Freak. I would much rather not offend other faiths, just as I would rather my faith not be thoughtlessly slandered.

    If someone thoughtlessly slanders my faith (or any other faith for that matter) I’ll scold, cluck and complain, but the minute violent threats are leveld at the offenders I have to switch sides.  That vexes me greatly, but therin lies the difference between coercion and persuasion.

    If God, in his omnipotence, will generally not interrupt free will in the choice of faith, neither should I.

  39. Jusitce Prevails says:

    ” a newspaper at the

    University of Oregon —

    called “The Insurgent” ”

    “ AN AGENCY CALLED

    THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ”

  40. Dan Collins says:

    They should have named it The Oregon Grinder.

  41. nikkolai says:

    Forgiven by us, they are. But they still may have to answer for this somewhere, later. Wouldn’t want to have to do that.

  42. alppuccino says:

    Jesus has been through worse.  He’s tough and can take a little childish ridicule.  Mo must be a puss or sumpm’.

  43. Matt Esq. says:

    As a Christian, none of this offends me.  I’m used to bile being thrown at Christians and basically, I just ignore it, unless someone’s in my face about it.  The Catholic League and whomever else should look at the entire situation in context and put a sock in it. 

    FEAR THE RISE OF THE CHRISTIAN STREET.  WE WILL MARCH ON OREGON- THE CITY WILL BURN !!!! <evil Christian laugh>

  44. nawoods says:

    To prozacula,

    Michael Savage is jewish.

  45. nawoods says:

    Oh, and get back to us when the “Armed Wing of the 700 Club” starts bombing hotels at Disney Land.

  46. nishizono shinji says:

    While what we should be doing is throwing a blanket over the whole thing.

    No, Jeff.

    Remember what Kyle said.

    Either it is all OK [to make fun of] or none of it is.

    Suck it up and laff it off.

  47. Zapatoscarne says:

    And if “anathema to classical liberalism and free speech, especially insofar as it serves to validate the very notion of identity politics”…etc.” is jingoism, then we really need to work on our jingos.

    Dang jingos.  Turned my back the other day…a jingo ate my baby. 

    TW: Who. Who. Who.  <- My imatation of a owl.

  48. John Dunshee says:

    And most troubling (at least to me) is that we are beginning to see ostensible conservatives validating this progressive protest methodology, so invested are they in their own identity politicking (in this case, protecting their own religious convictions from ridicule).

    No Jeff, using their tactics against them is exactly what we should do. If we stand on principle they just continue in their assaults without even noticing. But when their own methods come back to bite them, then they start noticing.

    Exhibit A: Independent Counsel law.

    It was fine when it was being used to bash a Republican President, but as soon as it was used against one of their own? Bye, bye.

    They can dish it out, but they can’t take it. They’re basically a bunch of wimps. We have to fight fire with fire because it is effective.

  49. Vani L says:

    I think it’s really sick that one of you wrote that Arabs are out there blowing themselves up, It’s you – the Christians, who are blowing THEM up.  Remember Haditha – on November 19, 2005, American soldiers killed an entire familly.  The victims were harmless civilians who had done nothing to them.  They included women, children and old men.  They killed an old man in a wheelchair before the very eys of his grandson.  They killed many young girls, including a one year old baby girl. All this was done in revenge for the death of one American soldier.  All were shott in teh head, execution style. The Marines leadership did not even investigate the crime. That’s how little life count for those people.  For them, this is just one more incident among many.  Did anyone of you see the footfage of British and American soldiers attacking and beating little boys, aged 7, 8 and 9 years old who had been throwing little stones at them.  These big soldiers left the tiny, little boys lying in pools of their own blood.  There is actual footage of a grown man kicking one of the little boys repeatedly in the groin with great force.  Last year at a check point, an itchy-fingered soldier killed the parents of six children before their very faces. the children were drenched in their own parent’s blood.  Those are the heros that you are all watching, admiring and supporting.  The blood of the Iraqi civilian is on all of your hands, since you all support them so blindly.  Well, I’ll tell you one thing – GOD is watching YOU.  He sees all this sick hatred and he will never forget it.

    During the last war on Iraq, a tiny little country which is no match for the power and might of America, 100,000 people were killed.  During the ensuing years 500,000 died, due to the chaos and destruction of their society.  Currently, American military forces have killed 100,000 people.  When is enough enough?

    Out of a billon Muslims, only SOME are Arabs.  Not all Arabs are Muslim and not all Muslm are Arabs.  In any case, they are NOT blowing themselves or others up.  This implies that every Arab man is a terrorist. Do you realize the enormous stupidity of this idea?  How can you all be so blind and full of ignorance and hate?  There are activists everywhere on earth.  Here in America, we had Timothy McVeigh who so hated the way that America is run that he bombed a government building. Little children died as a result of his act, but he died unrepentant. He was supposedly part of a conspiracy.  Yet, does anyone extrapolate from his behavior, making claims that all white male youths are racist, killers, terrorists?  There are definitely many among us.  But the majority of young white males are just ordinary people.  STOP GENERALIZING. 

    Some Arabs are activists, some are freedom fighters who are resisiting what they consider to be an occupaton of Palestine by the Jews of Israel.  That does NOT mean that they are all terrorists.  The majority are just ordinary folks, like me, and maybe, you.  None of you seem to be able to grasp that.  It seems that all your minds have all been washed.  Why should Americans citizens hate Arabs as you do?  Do you realize the enormity of such an attitude?  Hate is not the answer.

    At the core of all this is a polictical dispute between israel and the Palestinians that does not involve other nations.  Many, but not all, Jews all over the world support the Israeli-Jewish cause and many, but not all, Arabs all over the world support the Palestinian cause. American Jews can bring enormous resources to the Zionist cause.  Arabs are less united and have fewer reources.  All of this is perfectly natural.  Did any of you expect the Palestinians to lay down and let their land be given away by a third party without fighting back?  What is inexplicable is – why are Americans involved in this battle?

    The Muslims are not committing any offense that should have excited all this hate in the American and European people.  I hope that no one brings up 911.  None of you can explain how steel melted at 500°, don’t even try.  911 was about a controlled demoliton and that is that.  You all know that in your hearts.  As for the third tower – none of you can explain why the third tower collasped and all this in less that 6 seconds.  Only controlled demolitions occur in this way, so neatly, so efficiently, and so quickly.  The strategic placement of demoliton explosion caused the 911 events.  You are all victims of a terrible subterfuge.

    I implore the reader of this blog to leave the Jews and Arabs to resolve the Palestinian conflict amongst themslves.  Why should Americans have to invole themselves in this endless dispute?  Cease to hate your fellow man, and to provoke them unnecessarily.

  50. amigo says:

    Repetition doesn’t make right.  Armageddonism is the scourge of the 21st century.  Born Agains nut jobs want to destroy the world.  check the unite states of israel-palestine site for more on this unitedip.blogspot.com

  51. amigo says:

    I’m sick and tired of Armageddon hawks acting like experts on how muslims understand their religion.  Better for you to go back to sunday school and learn your religion because Premillinial Dispensationalism is a heresy.  If you think this is coming out of nowhere, that’s just because your wit is dim.  Or as Rumsfeld would put it, “Being a dimwit does not mean your with is dim.”

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