Guns and Talk: Is It Possible for the U.S. to Become Self-Aware?
Our Home-Grown Version of the Mohammed Cartoon
Not so many years ago a Danish newspaper took on a critique of Islam and self-censorship. It accomplished this with a set of 12 editorial cartoons, which enraged many—so much so that riots erupted across the globe. Cartoon depictions of Mohammed are considered blasphemous by many.
In the US, we tend to applaud most any exercise of free speech. It is a right we cherish. Except when it comes to guns. When The Journal News recently published data locating pistol permit holders in two counties in New York, the sound of lock and load replaced the applause.
So the publisher of The Journal News hired armed guards. Janet Hasson told the New York Times, “The safety of my staff is my top priority.”
To any who laughed off the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy saying it could not happen here, think again.
When will talk become unsafe in this country? When will the second amendment take aim at the first?
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Image credit: The Journal News
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