effigies and olive trees

Several people have asked me what my opinion is on the whole Mohammed cartoon 'controversy'. My consistent response: 'It's Stupid'. I really don't feel like i need to go into much more detail. But my friends have taken issue with my brevity, so I might as well give my full perspective. I thought the cartoons were funny, especially the one with Mohammed telling the suicide bombers that they've run out of virgins. The one that has pissed off everyone seems to be the one of Mo with a bomb for a turban. Considering how many moslem groups seem to use bombs as their primary religious message, this also seemed fairly amusing to me. I was heartened to see several european papers publish the cartoons in the face of calls for self-censorship. People should be able to see what is driving the protests. The response of the moslem world has been predictibly childish. I totally endorse their right to protest, I just prefer they won't go on rampages, burn down embassies and start some fun little pogroms against any local religious minorities. At this point, hasn't every single person in the Western world been burned as an effigy on the streets of Karachi. And furthermore, what are people in Karachi doing when they're not burning effigies? Do they just go to school and stockpile supplies of paper-mache american politicians? Are their vast factories producing as many foreign flags as possible? And where are the women? They never seem to be involved in this. The beard and blanket crowd seems like a lot of underemployed, immature and uneducated young men who, without the outlets of sex and beer, have decided that rioting is some good, clean, religiously endosed fun. I believe it is my right to say anything about anyone else's beliefs that I deem necessary. I don't particularly care for this Mohammed character, and Islam is not on the top of my philosophical study list. But this doesn't change the fact that I like and respect a number of Moslems as individuals, and my views on their religious beliefs don't influence the friendship and respect that I have for them as human beings. I was watching the news today, and apparently one of the afforementioned rampaging mobs attacked the US embassy. I was watching, thinking maybe the New York Times had grown some balls and actually published the cartoons. I burst out laughing when I found out the supreme court has a picture of Mohammed on it. There is a stone relief of historical law-givers, and Mo was thrown up, ironically between Justinian and Charlemagne. I was similarly amused with the Italian Prime Minister compared himself favorably with Jesus last week. I find this all very amusing, and just have no idea what the hell everyone's problem is. There is a name for laws that prohibit saying bad things about religion. It's called theocracy. Such a government results in enjoyable persuits like the Inquisition, one of the finer moments of my particular religious sect. I propose a deal with the Moslem world: if you want to protest and burn and pogrom to your hearts content, we get to do it too. I've always wanted to lead a mob on some esoteric rampage against dollar stores, or thai massage parlors. Or we could all agree that we can say whatever we want, as long as no one is physically injured. Your choice. Update: Check out the supreme court thing here: www.supremecourtus.gov/about/north&southwalls.pdf. Also I have put a picture of that depiction upon the website. I hope I don't get fatwaed.