Please pray for the souls and families of those Americans murdered by Islamic extremists in Libya including the ambassador.
But I must say that I am fearful that many more Americans and countless Muslims may die in further protests because of the weak response and outrageous moral equivalence of the Obama administration.
The original statement in Egypt by the administration apologized for free speech. A few hours later the Libyan ambassador and others were dead. After the ensuing outrage, the Obama administration walked back from this statement.
But even after the deaths they issued this:
While the United States rejects efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others, we must all unequivocally oppose the kind of senseless violence that took the lives of these public servants.
This type of outrageous moral equivalence between rude free speech and murder will only encourage this type of behavior.
The only appropriate answer is that “All Americans, no matter what there point of view, have the right to free speech and we have fought and died to protect it. And if anyone attacks us for protecting that right we will bring the full force of American might to bear against them. Yes, that means you.:
We have to stop this moral equivalence nonsense now or more people will die.
September 12, 2012 at 3:07 pm
This didn't happen in New Jersey; it happened in Libya. Libya isn't America, and there are very many Libyans who are angry at American aggression against them. It is true that Obama mishandled this- if he is going to be an imperialist he ought to shed all this malarkey about democracy and trying to help the people he is invading. If you are going to occupy a country, do it right, or this kind of embarrassing crap will happen.
We do have to stop this moral equivalence nonsense. We have to stop saying that. We have to say this to our own nation:
(Luke 13)
1Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."
The Jews wanted the same thing you want; a condemnation of the Romans. Instead Jesus told them to repent, or else. Same deal here.
September 12, 2012 at 3:14 pm
August,
That film was shown in Florida, not Libya.
September 12, 2012 at 3:41 pm
What original statement apologized for free speech?
September 12, 2012 at 3:55 pm
Libya isn't America, and there are very many Libyans who are angry at American aggression against them.
You mean the aggression wherein we aided and abetted the rebels who took out Gadaffi? Makes sense.
And quoting unrelated Bible passages in order to ignore our citizens being murdered – real cute.
September 12, 2012 at 3:56 pm
Gail….
statement by the US embasy in Cairo….
"The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims – as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions. Today, the 11th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, Americans are honoring our patriots and those who serve our nation as the fitting response to the enemies of democracy. Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy. We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others."
sickening, sicophantic butt-kissing.
September 12, 2012 at 4:04 pm
Does anyone believe that the Obama administration "rejects efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of" Catholics regarding euthanasia (including abortion and abortifacient contraception) or of any people of faith regarding the nature of marriage and family? All this administration does is to denigrate virtue and promote vice!
September 12, 2012 at 4:39 pm
We are going to appease in the name of peace until we have only 2 choices left-either we submit to Islam or we turn the middle east and northern Africa into glass. This could have been stopped in the 70's if Carter had had any foreign policy intelligence. Instead, he and every other president since, has tried to make nice with people who have no desire to live in peace with us, whose only goal is our destruction and who don't care how many die on either side to attain that goal.
September 12, 2012 at 5:02 pm
I'm quoting the bible passage to counter Patrick's moral equivalency argument. American citizens were murdered in no small part because the American government destabilized that country. The murderers are murderers, but if you keep demonizing foreign murderers and ignore the actions of our murders you aren't going to save anybody. More people will die because you can't figure out how to repent- and in this case it certainly includes changing this stupid foreign policy agenda. The Libyan government couldn't even protect the American embassy precisely because the Libyan government was destroyed by the U.S.
What our government said was stupid, but doesn't even matter. What is important is to figure out how to rein D.C. in, so that we can stop them from producing more of these situations.
September 12, 2012 at 6:24 pm
August — You are flat out wrong. They hate us because of who we are — a liberal secular society. Islam has hated the West since it's inception.
Regretably, this is a war to the knife. Weakness percieved will result in more innocent… yes, innocent lives.
September 12, 2012 at 7:14 pm
My position isn't one of weakness. It is being dispassionate enough to see the way forward. You have to calm down enough to see it. This is why the enemy engages in atrocities- to enrage us into doing things that will weaken our position further. Our position has already been weakened by the aforementioned inability to defend an embassy- we crisscross the globe at war in various countries. This is a logistical nightmare, easily exploitable by a sophisticated enemy- and D.C. routinely angers Russia and China. We have already spun out of control. It would be nice if we could change course. I'd prefer to get the troops home BEFORE the enemy troops get here- an eventuality that seems unlikely now, but increases in probability as we play around in the sand rather than defending our own land.
September 12, 2012 at 7:51 pm
August — What nonsense. Your dispassion is the dispassion of appeasement. You'd have a repetition of 911 by backing away from confrontation. Don't you know that never works?
I'd rather have our military killing them in Tora Bora, Najaf and Kirkuk AND Benghazi than downtown NYC.
Our so called inability to defend our embassy? What nonsense again. The decision to defend the embassies is a failure in leadership and passivity by this administration. Like Reagan, I would advocate a couple of cruise missles to downtown Benhazi followed by an announcement that Cairo is next on the list.
Yours is the voice of weakness that I won't listen too.
September 13, 2012 at 1:15 am
It is part of the doctrine of Islam that all must submit. They have no concept of live and let live or freedom of speech or freedom of religion. There are 3 choices for infidels under Islam: conversion, slavery or death. You cannot negotiate with someone whose only goal is your death. Jesus asked if there would be faith on earth when He returns. Appeasers choose to answer, "No."
September 13, 2012 at 3:15 pm
It looks pretty obvious now that the government is blaming these outbreaks of violence on this film in order to avert blame from themselves.
To those of you talking about indiscriminately bombing of civilian populations- repent. There really isn't anything else to say and the scripture I quoted above is very much relevant. There have been Jewish and Christian minorities living peacefully in Muslim countries for a very long time- they are actually in danger now because of stupid things the U.S. is doing.
One of the advantages of having such a stupid government is that eventually the lies become so flimsy that even children can see through them. I encourage you to at least imagine for a moment that the reasons you feel justify your bellicose mindset are actually lies from the devil.
September 13, 2012 at 3:34 pm
Thanks august. It's good to know that at least one person is thinking biblically, while the rest of us heathens have clearly been influenced by Satan whispering into our ears. Your moral superiority puts us all to shame.
September 13, 2012 at 7:03 pm
I wasn't suggesting that we should bomb indiscriminately. I fear we will be forced into it because we refuse to make other interventions in time. It's like seeing a growing lump on your calf and waiting to go to the doctor until the cancer has spread so far that the only choice is amputation or death.