Schizophrenia At The Toronto Star

Leftie Toronto Star columnist Antonia Zerbisias castigates rightwing bloggers for doing what she later admits the newspapers should be doing:

No doubt, the Kartoon Karnage Kapers are inexcusable, and threaten to escalate into even more senseless death and destruction. That's why the absolute glee with which this has been received by the online cons strikes me as so puzzling. Do they enjoy the blood sport of watching out-of-control Muslim mobs in the streets?

Good question. And the answer is, "yes". It's time that the true nature of large parts of the Islamic world is brought home to well-meaning, but dimwitted liberals like Zerbisias. Islam, in large part, is not just like Christianity or Judaism. While the potential for violence is present in the teachings of all three major religions, it has been realized in modern times by Islam, and validated by overwhelming numbers; witness Hamas' electoral victory, a logical followup to the widespread Palestinian ululations of joy on 9/11.

Zerbisias is at her schizophrenic best, however, when, in the same column she laments that more Western newspapers aren't publishing the Mohammed cartoons:

In terms of the North American corporate media, only a few dailies, including Montreal's Le Devoir, have republished the cartoons, which are not particularly good, not very funny and not necessary to understanding the story. As many editors have explained, merely describing the cartoons is sufficient for making the point.

I hope that's the real reason for their reticence. I would hate to think that newspapers are backing away to avoid angry protests, to prevent ad boycotts, out of political correctness or a sense that some communities should get special treatment or, most of all, because they fear violent reprisals.

If you're in the news business, sometimes you just have to take major risks in order to defend freedom of the press.

And when you're a blogger, sometimes you have to stand up for freedom of expression. Even when you're "gleeful" about it.

Via Newslinker.