This Qu'ran-burning thing is out of control.

[wtmusic]

I was looking forward to writing it off as media hype, a void to be filled now that indignation from the Park51 story is down to a slow simmer. But with the Pope, Obama, and Hillary Clinton chiming in the stage is set for demonstrations, unrest, rioting, bombings, namecalling, and God/Allah knows what else.

Not to sound insensitive, but is Obama doing the burning? Sarkozy? Putin? No...it's a teapot backwoods pastor who has managed to turn the indignation of the world on end.

When one idiot gets that much influence for burning a book, possibly the indignant of all faiths need to take a hard look at their own symbol worship. </rant>

btw since this story hit on July 22 over 600,000 people have died of hunger.

[spanone]

1. it's absurd. the media has elevated it to an international incident. it's a few idiots.

[msongs]

6. lol mission accomplished by the perps in florida....stupid gullible media and viewers nt

[TreasonousBastard]

15. Do the hundreds of posts on DU, and the thousands, maybe millions...

all over the rest of the internet count as "media"?

Why, just because there is a keyboard in front of you, must something be typed?

[sledgehammer]

16. Well...

When the death threats to the South Park creators came out for the "Muhammad in a bear suit" depiction, it came from an extremely small group (about 10 people) called Revolution Muslim based in NYC. Yet, the media covered it as if Muslims were completely outraged. In fact, almost every Muslim in America ignored it. And there was no reaction around the world as no one there knows what South Park is.

It is true that Muslims across the world do get irrationally outraged on ridiculous things. The Danish cartoon reaction was beyond sickening, and there are many other examples. But media has a way to make even the most insignificant reactions (e.g. South Park incident) into something big. It's what they do.

Personally, I think the attention to the Quran-burning incident is a good thing. It's making people realize that intolerance is universal, it's usually practiced by a small group of nuts, and it's really attention-seeking that can turn into something dangerous. And it brings rational people closer who end up echoing the same message.

And if the irrational likes of Palin, Romney, and Beck are critical of any anti-Muslim action, then perhaps the level of coverage is justified.

And while this may be a small group, the significance of the event is huge. It's almost akin to a right-wing group performing a public mock lynching on an MLK effigy on MLK day and justifying it as the right thing to do to send a message to black people.

[NoNothing]

22. In fairness

I think the South Park incident was legitimately newsworthy not because of the Islamist reaction, but because of Comedy Central's craven response to that reaction.

[piratefish08]

27. DU has elevated the topic as well. Feverishly.

Very few people here would have compromised the Constitution for the Park51 project but MANY on DU are willing to do just that to try to stop this stupid ass religious freak.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

2. This nonsense puts our troops in danger and the general public in danger

how stupid can they get?

[Codeine]

7. No, stupid nutfuck overreaction to it does that. nt

[RagAss]

3. Thank Wolf Blitzer !

[leftstreet]

4. I don't know anyone ANYONE who's talking about it

M$M Fail

[BurtWorm]

5. Well said, wt.

:applause:

[Canuckistanian]

8. Obama's already being blamed for this

There were protests against Obama in Afghanistan today.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

13. The US and the west in general will be blamed for this in other nations

They can not fathom it not going on without government endorsement. They lack the concepts of civil liberties and the first amendment. Even some western nations seem amazed that the Government will not stop it.

[JI7]

14. yeah, because of their own country and Govt .

[Canuckistanian]

17. Yes, even our government is condemning it in the strongest terms

Because our troops on the ground in Afghanistan are going to feel the heat, too, as part of the NATO forces.

We're all the same to the tribesmen and vilagers of Afghanistan. We're just a monolithic block to them. They make no allowance for differences in opinions from our governments.

[Bobbieo]

20. Pastor Jones would burn Obama if he had the chance!

[The_Casual_Observer]

9. The power of cable TV & email account splash pages

[Blue_In_AK]

10. I'm sure cooler heads will prevail all around ultimately,.

but it does make you wonder whose side the media is on. This guy is a whackjob. If the media did their homework on him, they'd know he was thrown out of his church in Germany for being too radical and had been accused of mind control, much in the mold of that other Rev. Jones. He is not worthy of this much attention -- he needs psychiatric help. It could have been handled off the radar and not become such a big effing deal.

Most moderate Muslims as well as most moderate Christians realize that this is an aberrant event, that this guy clearly doesn't think straight and is not any more mainstream in America than those other terrorists are in the Middle East. There are crazy people everywhere, but they don't all get this kind of attention. Sometimes I think the fundamentalist Muslims and the fundamentalist Christians ought to go off somewhere and duke it out by themselves and leave the rest of us alone.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

12. I do not think that will happen

Internationally muslims do not react with tolerance to what they believe is western sacrilege if recent history is to be believed. Look what a few cartoons or even a false story brought on. I have little doubt there will be violence over this.

[MadMaddie]

11. The media is not talking about the fact that this guy was

kicked out of Germany because he was a cult leader. Jim Jones wannabe.....

[CatWoman]

18. it's still nothing but media hype

where would these blithering idiots be without it?

[lib2DaBone]

19. How did the media find out about this Baloon-Boy stunt so fast?

Somthing ain't right ... (sic)

[Zanzobar]

21. The fire will go out in an hour and everyone will forget it

I promise. This is only an event among partisans already inflamed, where no love has been lost. It has served to draw more attention, but attenion never seems to increase turnout at the polls.

[Bobbieo]

23. Yeah - Everyone except the fundamentalist Muslims who were behind

9/11 in the first place. This is already a most unfortuate incident. All because some insignificant bible thumper in Florida wants his 15 minutes of fame.

[Zanzobar]

24. To those muslims

this event will be like adding a twig to a forest fire. The meal was prepared long before anyone planned a book burning.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

25. it fans the fire

not with just the extremists but every Islamic population.

[seabeyond]

26. seriously out of control. heard preacher dude say might reconsider if got call from WH, pentagon

or some place else

who the fuck is he to have anyone pay attention to his ugly ass.

[spanone]

28. the media is out of control

[Bragi]

29. This was bound to happen sometime, so lets deal with it

Does anyone think that no-one in America would ever have thought of a Koran-Burning stunt, had it not been for Terry Jones? In a way, America is lucky that this stunt is being conducted by such an obviously stupid and isolated person. It could have been worse.

Even if Jones backs off, it is hard to imagine that someone else will not, someday sometime in America, decide to torch a stack of Korans for media.

So maybe America -- and the Muslim world -- needs to get their collective heads around the reality that, in America, every nutcase has a right to lawful free speech, and no-one has a right not be offended by the free speech of others.