U.S. State Department Sells Out On Freedom of Speech
(Updated & Bumped)
THE STATE DEPT TAKES
SIDES IN THE CARTOON WARS
By Michelle Malkin
Guess which side they chose? The United States blasted the publication by European newspapers of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed as unacceptable incitement to religious or ethnic hatred.
"These cartoons are indeed offensive to the beliefs of Muslims," State Department spokesman Justin Higgins said when queried about the furore sparked by the cartoons which first appeared in a Danish newspaper.
"We all fully recognize and respect freedom of the press and expression but it must be coupled with press responsibility," Higgins told AFP.
"Inciting religious or ethnic hatreds in this manner is not acceptable. We call for tolerance and respect for all communities and for their religious beliefs and practices."
[Read on here.]
Update 1:
State Department Criticism of Cartoons - a Hoax?
Charles Johnson
What in the world is going on with the story about the State Department condemning the Danish cartoons? LGF reader Ty points out that in three different news wire reports, the same statements are attributed to three different people.
Agence France Presse says the State Department spokesman was “Justin Higgins:” US blasts cartoons of Prophet Mohammed.
Reuters says it was “Kurtis Cooper:” US backs Muslims in cartoon dispute.
And the Associated Press says it was “Janelle Hironimus,” in a story by Qassim Abdel-Zahra: Protests Intensify Over Muhammad Drawings.
Is this story a hoax, or just hopelessly confused?
[Read on here.]
Update 2:
Mystery solved, I think:
U.S. defends press in cartoons offense
By Nicholas Kralev, The Washington Times
The State Department yesterday condemned as "offensive" cartoons in a Danish newspaper depicting the prophet Muhammad but defended the paper's right to publish them as a fundamental principle of democracy.
It also urged Muslims, who have been staging mass protests against the cartoons and their reprinting in newspapers in Europe, to express outrage when they see anti-Christian or anti-Semitic publications.
"We find them offensive," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said of the cartoons. "While we share the offense that Muslims have taken at these images, we at the same time vigorously defend the right of individuals to express points of view.
"Freedom of expression is at the core of our democracy, and it is something that we have shed blood and treasure around the world to defend, and we will continue to do so," he said.
Mr. McCormack's remarks at his daily press briefing were more balanced than the department's statement earlier in the day, when it appeared to be siding with the Muslims and said that "inciting religious or ethnic hatred in this manner is not acceptable."
[Read on here.]
So, either the people quoted earlier in the day weren't authorized to speak for the State Department in the first place, or the grown-ups got involved and straightened things out when they found out what was being said in their names. I feel better now.
(See all of my "Muhammad Cartoons" posts here.)
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