Captain's Quarters -

I usually find Salon a pretty worthless piece of reading but I have to give them credit, they ran the strip on their site. Apparently, not everyone on the Left is a eunuch. Kudos to Breathed and Salon.

I'm not entirely comfortable for some reason I can't place with what you said here, but I can't disagree with any of it.

I am concerned, though, that this kind of confrontational "You're cowards" stuff, sure it feels good to skewer these guys, but I wonder, what message does it send to the American Muslim community? They already seem to be rejecting CAIR and other organizations that allege to represent them, isn't there some way to deal with this that would include them instead of it just being another arrow in the quiver against the MSM?

I'm not entirely comfortable for some reason I can't place with what you said here, but I can't disagree with any of it.

I am concerned, though, that this kind of confrontational "You're cowards" stuff, sure it feels good to skewer these guys, but I wonder, what message does it send to the American Muslim community? They already seem to be rejecting CAIR and other organizations that allege to represent them, isn't there some way to deal with this that would include them instead of it just being another arrow in the quiver against the MSM?

Western newspapers seem to be determined to create a "Vietnam" of their own - by surrendering to the Islamists at every opportunity. But this type of surrender only breeds more attacks and more violence. Mark Steyn nails it this weekend in drawing the parallel between the loss of American credibility and the pullot from Vietnam (and the potential pullout from Iraq). George Bush got the Vietnam analogy right. It is not another Vietnam unless we surrender in Iraq too. The more the newspapers retreat from Islam, the more demanding and violent Islam will become.

Coming on the heels of the CNN/Amanpour series which attempted to prove that all religions were equally maniacal and homocidal, I'd say this is a pretty humiliating refutation.

The worldwide media is deathly afraid of one, and only one, religion.

Their lips say no, no, but their cowardice says oh yes.

It was in today's Houston Chronicle. That's about as leftist as you get. Not the Minneapolis "Red" Star, but close.

Maybe they did not recognize the target. It's not like the Chronicle editorial staff are the sharpest pencils in the box.

re: Choas -- I personally haven't seen many cases of moderate Muslims distancing themselves from CAIR. Only when pressured, do they offer a watered down condemnation of radical Islam or CAIR's questionable stances.

As to Opus: newspapers constantly publish items that some readers disagree with or find objectionable. My solution, if you don't like it -- don't read it. It's a First Amendment thing.

THAT's it? What the hell? Why can't that run? Are we that afraid?

Well, this is the first time I've read Opus. Hope Breathed keeps it up.

I'm not sure that suggesting that women who don't shave their legs and the French might go to heaven is really a strong "[satirization] of Jerry Falwell and Christian beliefs of the afterlife," but I'd agree that the new strip should have run.

It's in the LA Times.

It appears from reports by commenters that only lefty newspapers are running this.

Clearly they're just not bright enough to recognize the threat.

It was in today's Houston Chronicle. That's about as leftist as you get. Not the Minneapolis "Red" Star, but close.

"Opus" is in the St. Paul Pioneer Press up here. They ran it, thankfully.

What I find hard to understand is why the Cap'n is surprised or even bothered to comment on this.

The media has always been afraid of the Islamics and of Islam.

They have leaned to the left and tried to be PC for the last forty years.

Why the surprise?

Want to know where all this is coming from? Visit your universities, your high schools, hell even your elementry schools.

That is where this PC and fear is coming from.

Until we correct that source, that problem, we will keep churning out little PC liberal socialists.

Want to fix this? Fix the American Education System.

Papa Ray
West Texas
USA

The MSM has the right to publish whatever they want (it is one of the risks that democracies take). But we are under no obligation to help the MSM pretend that they are truth-seeking, fearless journalists. Many of them - perhaps a majority - are nothing more than Democrat Party propagandists, willing to lie, cheat, steal, or do pretty much whatever else it takes for their Democrat pets to win.

I am not sure if it is fear of Islamic violence or political correctness that is behind the decision of MSM "newspapers" to not run the Breathed cartoons. Perhaps both reasons play a part. We can safely discount "tolerance for religion" as a reason - the MSM often goes out of it's way to slime Christianity. For a good example of this see CNN's recent "God's Warriors" where Amanpour tried to suggest that Christian Creationists are somehow on par with Islamic terrorists (I do not believe in "creationism", but not for the reasons in the CNN smear piece).

Yup. Comedy's OUT on the Left. And, editors use their abilities to curtail even the magic of laughter. What can ya do?

Today's Chris Muir hits yesterdays' topic (about Puff-Ho's call for a coup-de-koo-koo, for what it is.) No arrests need to be made; when you realize the Left's lost all credibility. It's the GlueHuff, now. People posting stuff have gone "creative." I saw it all, yesterday.

Dunno if it helps, but Berkely Breathed's sense of humor will now be recognized by more people. THere's a business advantage to that, I'm tellin' ya.

re postaldog: I would think that CAIR's membership and donations apparently plummeting would be a sign.

Also, how would you react if, every time someone did something bad, just because you and he shared the same faith / taste in cars / whatever, someone else demanded that you denounce and/or apologize for what he did, time and time and time again?

It's time we found out where the American Muslim community really lies instead of throwing out snark at them about how they should think and act regardless of how they are actually thinking and acting.

Let's see. He lies or exaggerates or simply repeats Politically Correct dogma and they publish him without a thought, but he merely hints at a dangerous and relevant truth and they censor him. Gotta love the MSM.

Hmm, it was perfectly fine for Opus to needle the hare krishnas (Hairy Fishnuts?).

Papa Ray and Mwalimu both make excellent points. For decades, the NY Times routinely referred to the bad folks from the Middle East as "terrorists" on Page One, but the T word mysteriously disappeared from that paper soon after Bill Clinton took office. No explanation was ever given (but was one really needed?)

Chaos, I'm not buying your theory. Because the Saud's and other Sunni's are so overloaded with petro-bucks, they don't need "donations" to keep the crap flying.

As to American muslims, I'm also not impressed. Most just shake and quake in their boots. And, many of them, in business, have seen a drop off in customers, not from their own communities, who no longer shop in these stores. It's a "retail" disaster; but how would people know this? All complaints are discussed at the mosque. Between men. While their women, trained to be without a mind of their own, tolerate this crap. And, keep on birthing babies. (In the USA? There's welfare.)

Sure, when the word goes out, inside the mosques, that blowback is happening to the Saud's, the muslems will line up and throw their shoes at the scum that so far, took over.

Why wait?

Because that's the nature of arab behavior. They wait till they know who won. And, in the USA? There are plenty on the left who want us to lose. Most Americans have good reasons not to trust 'em. Not the lot.

Papa Ray and Mwalimu both make excellent points. For decades, the NY Times routinely referred to the bad folks from the Middle East as "terrorists" on Page One, but the T word mysteriously disappeared from that paper soon after Bill Clinton took office. No explanation was ever given (but was one really needed?)

filistro,

Don't you mean not running this?

After all, the liberals expect conservatives to censor -- they think it's in the blood.

Conservatives expect liberals to censor -- they think it's in the blood. And this time, it is for a whole bunch of lefty newspapers.

Most of us don't have a choice in what newspaper we get, which is why we go seek to verify our news through other means.

Cap'n,

I, too, am a dedicated fan of Berkely Breathed. From his earliest days he's been funny as all get out, and I have enjoyed his work immensely, even on those occasions where I disagreed with the gist of his message.

Breathed has the rare ability to skewer both sides equally, and I, for one, appreciate the honesty and integrity of his opinions.

And I agree with other posters. There is only one religion that seeks conversions through intimidation and threats of violence and death. It is Islam.

Islam is to civilization as bleach is to water. It destroys anything living it comes in contact with.

“… I wonder, what message does it send to the American Muslim community? They already seem to be rejecting CAIR and other organizations that allege to represent them…”

The best treatment of the constituents for the ‘American Muslim community’ is to consider them normal intelligent Americans, and therefore to publish considered, non-slanderous opinions without second thoughts. Any such constituent may respond freely, thereby acting just like an American. Pre-emptive cringing editorial deletions are a cure worse than any alleged cause.

Next: several lefty papers are indeed publishing the Opus cartoon, even the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. For once, it looks like the learned Editors have allowed the First Amendment to trump Political Correctness. This is not always the case, as shown by their eager suppression of the Danish cartoons of Mohammed while they run any number of cartoons bashing Christ, Christians and Christianity. Had they allowed PC to trump the First in the Opus case, however, they’d have been wide open to some serious attacks. Normally, lefty papers (think NYT and its acolytes) will nail the First Amendment to the mast and publish whatever they goddam please, particularly if it will damage public opinion of the US or the Bush Administration. But they’d have been wide open to pointing out that the First Amendment is only sacred on selected occasions, after all, and can be written off when convenient. So maybe their fear of such attack trumped their fear of excoriation by self-appointed ‘American Muslim community’ representatives, and Opus ran as the minimum-fear option of these fearless and learned Editors.

re Carol:

Yes because that's what I was saying. I talked about the Saudis there.

Oh wait, I didn't. Go take issue with the WaPo, not me. They're the ones who said that an examination of CAIR's tax records or whatever showed membership and donations decreasing.

The rest of what you said was about two hairs away from being outright racism. Sure there are American Muslims like that. Sure, I don't doubt there are many. But to present them as such a monolithic bloc - whatever. I'd rather try to find some friends n the ranks of American Muslimhood than presenting them with your attitude.

Oh, Papa Ray, "fix the schools" isn't the answer. Most kids aren't cut out for schooling. This has always been true. The important thing to know is that you can teach the average kid to read and write in four years time. (For the Chinese, it's five. Their writing system is that much more complicated.)

Lincoln had months of formal schooling. That's all. But he never stopped reading.

Yesterday, there was some "poll" up that said 1 in every 4 Americans DID NOT READ A BOOK, LAST YEAR! That's a lot of people who are choosing to work with their hands and not their heads.

Probably a good thing. It's hard to find work when all you want to do is work with your head. (Lincoln's father, Tom, had real difficulties with Abraham. Tom sweated. And, then he cursed his son for refusing to do "farm work." Abe, was off on his own, using books, to gain a livelihood. And, Abe stopped seeing his dad, altogether, when he finally left home. He just never went back. Not even when his dad lay dying. Abe just said "we'd argue. It would be unpleasant." And, he let it go.

The biggest mistake most people make is to expect when they have children their children will be clones! GET A GRIP! The genetics isn't there, the kids won't be like you. And, many times they'll be the "opposite." So why go to wars over this emotional stuff? Learn, instead, to protect your buttons. And, take what comes.

The big ripoff to the Department of Education, besides its outrageous taxpayer expense; is the "do nothing nature" of what goes on for all those years! WAY TOO MANY YEARS.

Some kids solve this by turning their backs on college, or in college. Some head out on their own. Bill Gates being the shining example of "going into his dad's garage," and then besting him at business. What's Gates' dad do? He was a lawyer. Shows ya. To gain advantages you need to be born with talent. Schools will never provide talent!

Ah, but the military can take boys and make them men. So, for a few kids that's the route they take. My son's brother just did. And, ya know what? His parents, who are professionals, are coming around. You bet, they've got a kid to be proud of! And, my son has a wonderful brother.

Anyway, the Department of Education is like a sewer. We hardly think about sewers. But our society needs them. Honestly, does. And, it employs lots of people who couldn't find work, elsewhere.

You think, today, that those people are priests. Well, I think, ahead, "business will be off." And, the respect part has already fallen off the bloom on the rose.

Schools are just tools. Information is the stuff you'll learn to sort in your own head.

And, in each and every generation, the best qualify to do it.

It has been noted that some leftist newspapers Have published the cartoon (thanks, filistro, for noting that they Are leftist papers, since most Leftists discount the idea of a liberal bias in the news). I would only say here that some of them may have actually thought it out, and feel better about publishing the cartoon.... Because it will help give the impression of being less biased than they really are.

OT, but just want to throw this out for consideration. General Petraeus will be reporting on September 15th. Ramadan begins on the 21st. Even filistro should know that Ramadan is one of the most violent months in islam. I wouldn't be surprised if a) attacks increase in Iraq (would this be the 'Tet' attack?), and b) the press jumps upon that as proof the Surge is not working, ignoring all other realities?

"The best treatment of the constituents for the ‘American Muslim community’ is to consider them normal intelligent Americans, and therefore to publish considered, non-slanderous opinions without second thoughts. Any such constituent may respond freely, thereby acting just like an American. Pre-emptive cringing editorial deletions are a cure worse than any alleged cause."

And in the real world, people get confused, scared, and angry when they feel like they are under siege when presented with such confrontational nonsense. Good job, you've given yourself license to be an asshole to anyone you want on the grounds of freedom of self-expression. Excuse me if I doubt I'd find any arguments you present about anything very convincing just from your tone. Boringly Self Righteous would be a better screen name buddy.

re:Chaos
I notice that the NFL wasted no time in disciplining Michael Vick and expressing appropriate outrage over his actions. I have noticed the same thing with other sports institutions.

I regularly see Christian organizations speaking out on crimes/abuses perpetrated in the name of religion.

I see many local organizations speaking out and/or denouncing members who have broken laws or behaved irresponsibly.

I have not seen one moderate Muslim organization on the news after the attacks in Somalia, Pakistan, and Thailand this weekend. No one is murdering innocents in the name of their Ford Mustang. No one is blowing up buildings in the name of the USC Trojans.

No one is saying that they have to subjugate or murder people who aren't fans of the Yankees. It's a big difference. If we want to slow the spread of Islamic terrorism, we need to show that these views are not supported or tolerated by people of Islamic faith.

I have lived ten years in the Middle East & read/speak Arabic having learned it in the Foreign Service Institute. The shallow vapid vacuous left resembles the Arab mind so closely they could be kissing cousins---which in the Arab world means MARRIED!!! Islamists reflect the hatred in the MSM for winners and America's success across the board [25+% GDP of THE ENTIRE WORLD].

The left subsists on the large segment of loooozers & angry academics/know-better "helping-profession enablers" who want to reduce this country to a soup of mediocrity. The Arabs are already totally mediocre [and believe me I know]. Hence, the Dems/loons want us to become Arabs!!! And we should therefore not knock the CA-RAAAAZY Islamists who want to forcibly convert us to Islam and make our women into SLAVES. Are there any smart women on the left who have put two and two together?
e

Is there a list available of the papers that refused to run the cartoon?

Excuse me postaldog but what do the actions of foreign Muslims have to do with American Muslims? Why should they be expected to give some special condemnation? Simply because they are also Muslim? That doesn't sound very American to me, it sounds vindictive and unfair.

I've seen American Muslim organizations denounce terrorism left and right. Yes, they then go behind closed doors and talk jihad and slide money to terrorists. But that is the organization. It is not the individual American Muslim. And, according to the WaPo, those individual American Muslims are dropping CAIR and the like pretty damn fast.

I also don't need a lecture about what Islam needs to do. I've said all of that myself many times over the years at other places on the internet. Sorry if I see a difference between fellow Americans who are Muslim and Muslims who aren't. After all, isn't that a distinction our President makes as policy? Isn't that what our Supreme Court has done? Just because they are Muslim doesn't mean they shouldn't be extended the same courtesy you would any other American.

Excuse me postaldog but what do the actions of foreign Muslims have to do with American Muslims? Why should they be expected to give some special condemnation? Simply because they are also Muslim? That doesn't sound very American to me, it sounds vindictive and unfair.

I've seen American Muslim organizations denounce terrorism left and right. Yes, they then go behind closed doors and talk jihad and slide money to terrorists. But that is the organization. It is not the individual American Muslim. And, according to the WaPo, those individual American Muslims are dropping CAIR and the like pretty damn fast.

I also don't need a lecture about what Islam needs to do. I've said all of that myself many times over the years at other places on the internet. Sorry if I see a difference between fellow Americans who are Muslim and Muslims who aren't. After all, isn't that a distinction our President makes as policy? Isn't that what our Supreme Court has done? Just because they are Muslim doesn't mean they shouldn't be extended the same courtesy you would any other American.

I have lived ten years in the Middle East & read/speak Arabic having learned it in the Foreign Service Institute. The shallow vapid vacuous left resembles the Arab mind so closely they could be kissing cousins---which in the Arab world means MARRIED!!! Islamists reflect the hatred in the MSM for winners and America's success across the board [25+% GDP of THE ENTIRE WORLD].

The left subsists on the large segment of loooozers & angry academics/know-better "helping-profession enablers" who want to reduce this country to a soup of mediocrity. The Arabs are already totally mediocre [and believe me I know]. Hence, the Dems/loons want us to become Arabs!!! And we should therefore not knock the CA-RAAAAZY Islamists who want to forcibly convert us to Islam and make our women into SLAVES. Are there any smart women on the left who have put two and two together?
e

Excuse me postaldog but what do the actions of foreign Muslims have to do with American Muslims? Why should they be expected to give some special condemnation? Simply because they are also Muslim? That doesn't sound very American to me, it sounds vindictive and unfair.

I've seen American Muslim organizations denounce terrorism left and right. Yes, they then go behind closed doors and talk jihad and slide money to terrorists. But that is the organization. It is not the individual American Muslim. And, according to the WaPo, those individual American Muslims are dropping CAIR and the like pretty damn fast.

I also don't need a lecture about what Islam needs to do. I've said all of that myself many times over the years at other places on the internet. Sorry if I see a difference between fellow Americans who are Muslim and Muslims who aren't. After all, isn't that a distinction our President makes as policy? Isn't that what our Supreme Court has done? Just because they are Muslim doesn't mean they shouldn't be extended the same courtesy you would any other American.

Excuse me postaldog but what do the actions of foreign Muslims have to do with American Muslims? Why should they be expected to give some special condemnation? Simply because they are also Muslim? That doesn't sound very American to me, it sounds vindictive and unfair.

I've seen American Muslim organizations denounce terrorism left and right. Yes, they then go behind closed doors and talk jihad and slide money to terrorists. But that is the organization. It is not the individual American Muslim. And, according to the WaPo, those individual American Muslims are dropping CAIR and the like pretty damn fast.

I also don't need a lecture about what Islam needs to do. I've said all of that myself many times over the years at other places on the internet. Sorry if I see a difference between fellow Americans who are Muslim and Muslims who aren't. After all, isn't that a distinction our President makes as policy? Isn't that what our Supreme Court has done? Just because they are Muslim doesn't mean they shouldn't be extended the same courtesy you would any other American.

Is there a list available of the papers that have refused to publish the cartoon?

Chaos, the posting problems are not your fault!

Today, finally, this system hit bottom. It takes it's usual "five minutes" to load up a comment. But today? They just disappeared.

And, I'm reminded how, Captain, when you said you had chosen Michelle Malkin's "designers," people wrote in and told you they were nothing but trouble.

Michelle Malkin may have made her site more attractive. I don't have it bookmarked. And, I don't go there. So, I don't know.

But I know what I read here! People told you her system as good as it looks, is busted. And, they no longer go there.

Little Green Footballs' Charles Johnson, has put the best comments up on his board, in place. And, if there's a guide; that one is IT. Sure, you have to wait for opportunities, now, where he opens registration. But when he does; people jump through that "small window." The last time? He posted 99-new hatchlings. And, to get that, it means he's getting lots of "hits." Lots of people who are going there. And, now take the "ease of commenting" for granted.

Hope this helps. From my point of view, even Type Key was easier to use than the crap you've substituted. And, I hope you fix this. Honest. Because, people came here when you made your switch; and they sent up flairs and warnings.

To me, the comic seems more of a slam against people who change their beliefs to coincide with some recent fad, and less about any given religion. I don't see anything offensive about it.

"...but I wonder, what message does it send to the American Muslim community?"

Well, it's pretty obvious what message such media self-censorship sends them. "Threats of violence work!"

Here's my take. Arabs, if they're not driving cabs, or are in some profession (like medicine. Or engineering), where they're working for others; are having a RETAIL PROBLEM.

Lots of arabs are good businessmen. They go out. They try to do business on the retail level. ANd, I'll bet'cha, since 9/11 they've run into the "CLOSED WALLETS" problem. Which affects their traffic into their stores. It affects business.

So, there's lots of stuff that you're not "getting."

But, I'd bet, inside the mosques the words out that its harder to do business, when Americans shy away.

Before 9/11? I bet more pita breads were sold.

ANd, once you lose business? It's not easy to regain in. Nor does it help a businessman to find his store empty of customers.

That's one of the things that's post 9/11 no one is discussing openly.

The Austin American Statesman did not run today's "Opus." They did run an Opus cartoon, however, presumably a rerun. What is galling is they didn't even have the courage to advise readers that they are not running the cartoon that was supposed to be published today. They are part of Cox.

I posted roughly the same message above [about 10 years in the Middle East] at firedoglake, but they don't take outside callers. Their echo chamber resembles the caves where moonbats twitter and squeak before chasing insects in the night. Or suck blood, in the case of these burka-wearer-wannabes cranked up on meth.

I was pleasantly surprized to see that The Oregonian did run this strip today. I also would like to see a list of the papers that did censor it..

You know what Bill The Cat would say about this don't you: Acck!

My newspaper, the Knoxville News-Sentinel, ran the cartoon in today's paper. If America's papers are afraid of offending muslims with such a mild cartoon how can they ever expect to convince so-called moderate muslims to turn away from embracing Jihad?

The Chicago Tribune ran the strip, fortunately. I can't even see any legitimate complaint that Muslims might have against the strip anyway.

The strip depicts a woman who has become a "radical Islamist," but with no reference to terrorism or anything of that nature. She declares that now that she is a Muslim, she is no longer obsessed with Western pop culture, with the implication that she will also no longer engage in premarital sex.

So who, exactly, was offended?

heh berkeleybreathed.com has a "click here for this week's strip" link that leads to comics.com.

This week's strip is not available -- the page loads last week's strip, with no link tothis week's.

Dallas Morning Snooze ran a replacement strip. I am writing a letter expressing my disappointment at their disrespect of Islam.

Yes, that's DISRESPECT.

By not allowing Islam to receive the same treatment in it's pages that it allows for other faiths, these papers are saying that Islam is not able to take it. They are saying that Islam must be protected and cosseted like a child, not subjected to the rough and tumble of adult treatment.

Belvedere Jones
I guess comics.com decided not to run the strip as well. Who would think that a comedy site wold be afraid of a comic strip? Now THAT'S funny!

Weird that Breathed and Salon are both willing to hoist themselves upon their Liberal petards, to follow the way of Salman Rushdie - for the sake of a couple of cartoons speaking truth to power.
To call down BOTH LIBERALS and Islam upon their own heads?
WOW!

I'm impressed!

The darker background colour is much better in my opinion, it makes the whole site look better. You have done good work here.

Dante

Posted by daveinboca | August 26, 2007 1:06 PM

Excellent Post!

Posted by Gregg | August 26, 2007 7:14 PM

Parts of Austin are more like San Fransisco than like TEXAS.

Posted by Random Numbers | August 26, 2007 9:03 PM

Who knew that exactly quoting verbatim someone's religious position would be considered insulting to that same someone, by that same someone?

They make those public statements all the time, teach them in their madrassas, and their women go on TV and state that their positions regarding women are right and that western women are decadent she-devils for flaunting the proper position of women in society - their rape gangs taunt western women for being "uncovered meat" who deserve to be and ASK TO BE raped mutillated, and murdered, for their decadent conduct.

So now we are told that to depict a western woman converting to that religion and adopting their precise same standards is an insult.

It is going to be a most difficult time for the dhimmis to get in good with their new masters, indeed.
How do they plan to make any progress if they are not allowed to be comic book superheroes, in today's western society?

Whoops! Those evil Canadian Liberal nanny state socialist lefty newspapers carried the offensive strip. It's satire....wake up Lefty America...

I was wondering why Opus was actually funny today - I think the Washington Post chose to run an old Bloom County Strip.

Question: How long before Dana Milbank dons a Burka?

That would be an improvement.

"Billy Hollis at QandO says the newspapers should be ashamed of themselves, but won't be. Maybe Breathed can tackle that as his next subject."

Shame on you, Captain. A devout Breathed reader would know that newspapers and the handling of his strips have been a frequent target of Mr. Breathed's later strips. Need I dredge up the newsroom "Scruples Boy?"

LOL.

I pointed this out elsewhere, but having now seen both the strip the Boston Globe re-printed and the one that was pre-empted out of dhimmitude - yeeshk, what to say ?

The older strip was actually, you know, FUNNY. How ironic. Maybe the moron should try and stick to a topic that is at least partially funny, and I couldn't care less how much muslis, islamofascist, islamophobic nonsense either he or the press want to spew.

Fact is Opus stopped being funny a long, long time ago. And frankly, I could not possibly give a shit less about the politics of a frickin comic strip artist. I mean, seriously.