While we babble on about 1st Amendment, keep in mind the severe ignorance of many of these Afghan villagers. They cannot read any language. They live like the Flintstones. They actually are nice people, but when someone uses this to say this is an attack on their religion, they pick up the RPGs and go to fighting. The Taliban will use this as a tool to kill US and other Coalition forces. It might feel nice to burn the Korans in Polk County, Florida (my home county), but it translates to death in Afghanistan.
I cannot tell you how shocked I am to be reading this. He is ranting against the doings of the infamous Pastor Terry Jones and his perpetual mania of burning Qur’ans.
Folks, let me tell you something about me: I love books. I have books everywhere as my long-suffering Wife can attest and my Mom has endured since she and Dad made the mistake of not providing me with siblings and thought buying books was cheaper in the long run than buying the latest Matel box-of-fun. Back south of the gulf, I still have thousands of books (yes, thousands) I could not bring with me because there was no space available in the moving container. I have books that were given to me as gift when I was 5-6 years old. I have books given to me by communists and other idiotic people (know thy enemy and all that.) I have text books that are outdated by decades. I have books that are so boring, it took me years to read them (Great Gatsby? About 15 years.) So allow me to tell you that the fact that anybody would set books on fire makes me very very angry. I remember watching Fahrenheit 451 when I was a teen and scream in anger at the screen. In fact, I haven’t even read the book as I simply cannot make myself do it knowing what is about.
So it is safe to say I have no love whatsoever with Pastor Terry Jones, but if he wants to burn Qur’ans, Bibles, Bhagavad Gitas or Battlefield Earths, he can do it because it is First Amendment Right to do it as despicable as it might be. And that a person that I considered to be a journalist cites any excuse to infringe or restrict any Americans right to demonstrate his beliefs because what a bunch of idiots may think, say or do after they spend the night pumping the neighbors goat, it shocks the hell out of me. And this comes from the Michael Yon who complains every other post that the military is up and running trying to censor him or not allowing him to access information.
It reeks of upper-crust hypocrisy: For thee but not for me.
Totally agree. Michael Yon has jumped the shark on this one, big time. As despicable as the actions of Pastor Jones are, he is well within his rights. I detest and loath anyone who would burn an American flag; yet, banning the practice is equally hateful to me.
That’s life in a constitutional republic where the rule of law is respected…
Yon jumped the shark a long time ago. He’s a fucking legend in his own mind and should shut the hell up and go home already.
The real test for Pastor Terry Jones would be to travel to Benghazi and burn a truck load of Qur’ans…..I’d buy a ticket to watch that one.
Ill bring the pop corn…. don’t forget the iced soda
How would that be a test for him? We know it’s illegal in Muslim countries; they’re not known for protecting human rights.
Whatever test he prefers; a test of his own faith, a test of his courage. If you want to show your mettle to the other side, do it in their camp.
Sorry for your concern for books, but it’s like yelling “ASSAULT RIFLE” in a crowded theater to burn a Qur’an to these ignorant goat humpin’ islamists in the Mideast. As a soldier myself, I’m with Yon. Yon has the field creds and he is right. I don’t much care for a boatload of Qur’ans that can be printed out again in 20 minutes. I do care, however, for the lives of our troops who will be killed by the madmen over there for the insane actions of one idiot pastor. Pastor your say? Anyone who calls himself a man of God would not willingly cause the deaths of others just for some notoriety. He’s a charlatan. Now if he would climb on that pile of burning books THAT would make a statement.
I was going to give a snappy response. But instead I want you to read your reply again and think back to that time when you raised your right hand. Lets see if you can figure out the contradiction.
Did you serve? Since Vietnam, I get real picky about those who are abusing my US constitution, including folks who have never fought for their country but would criticize and nitpick everyone else. Besides, I’m old, crusty, and disabled enough from the war that I figure I can say and do what I want and if you care to disagree, come by and straighten me out in person. I’m REALLY pissed at all the administrations since Reagan and I have a few bones to pick with him. They have pretty much assigned the Constitution to the Smithsonian. For me it’s God, family, & country.
No, I did not serve. I was too old and too screwed up when I became a Citizen. Now, the Vietnam War lasted 10 years and had 58,000 casualties or 5,800 a year/average. But where I come from we have those numbers in murdered civilians 4 times over every year (at a 10th of the US population) because they cannot defend themselves.
Now, I could say that it would be a hellevua lot easier for the Second Amendment cause if we managed to silence the Gun Control groups by crook or hook, but I would be making a disservice to the same Bill of Rights that hosts the 2A if I were to deny the 1A because I find it inconvenient and even dangerous that my opponents exercise it.
You think I wouldn’t want Josh Sugarman or Ladd Everitt or Japete or Sarah Brady to shut the hell up and stop screwing with our rights? But even as low life scums that they are, trying to take away our rights and even outright saying that we do not have the basic right to defend ourselves and that the mass rounding up of US Citizens would be OK if signed by a judge, they have the right to say it and I have to respect that right. The only way I am allowed to “shut them down” is by going toe to toe on top of the soap box.
And if the time has come where the Rights enshrined in our Constitution come with a disclaimer in small font telling us when and where they can be applied (small handling fee, taxes and registration apart), then all is lost.
The real test is not a trial for the pastor but for our Constitutional Republic and our Constitution. As for our troops being in harms way in Afghanistan and Iraq, think about that – why are they there. Because one very liberal rebooblican put them there and a much more liberal demoncrat refuses to take them out of there. No – there is no test for Pastor Jones but rather a test for our once great nation to see if it can pull itself up out of the mud and be a shining example of freedom once again instead of the police state of the world.
The first amendment protects the brilliant and ignorant equally. Lately mostly the latter.
As i read it, Yon is calling on the Pastor NOT to burn the books. But is not calling on any government authority to BAR the Pastor from burning books.
I don’t think Yon’s appeal — which amounts to “Hey, think about the consequences of your actions and let me tell you what some of them are.” — is offensive to any notions of free speech or expression. He’s just meeting speech with speech, no? I do not see where endorses the state action, that is, the arrest.
Now, that’s for Yon (a fellow for whom I have enormous respect, especially having been a news reporter myself for many years, including several reporting on the military).
As for the authorities who arrested him, unless the pastor’s actions were a violation of some sort of fire code, or created some public hazard, the arrest seems an unconstitutional imposition on his right to free expression. (Although if his proposed demonstration needed a permit in the normal course, without regard to its content, that might be another matter.)
As for Pastor Terry — he’s a hate-filled thug who, so far as I can tell, hasn’t much of a notion about the Grace of the Gospel to which he claims to adhere.
It is the application of self-censorship by emotional extortion. “If you do this (exercise a Right), then you are a bad person because somebody may get hurt.” The classic application we all know and love? Let’s do it for the Children!
“As for Pastor Terry — he’s a hate-filled thug who, so far as I can tell, hasn’t much of a notion about the Grace of the Gospel to which he claims to adhere.”
Where in the Bible does it say to adhere to the religious requirements of evil?
Well rats. The above comment brought to you by Suburban Sheepdog, who clearly cannot type or navigate the commenting system here.
The hecklers veto overrides the Bill of Rights for many on the R or D side. Especially when backed by threat of Kalashnikov fire. The fear of far distant or close at hand retribution can not be allowed to these rights. Do I endorse stirring up a bunch of stone age barbarians for no reason? Absolutely not. But neither do I endorse shutting an idiots protest down to appease those same barbarians.
can not be allowed to these rights
please insert “trump” in this mess of a sentence.
It seems I’m not just a lurker anymore either.
Yon thinks that Jones shouldn’t be sending that message in that way.
You think that Yon shouldn’t be sending that message in that way.
What’s the difference?
Not a question of messages but the right to give the message because what the consequences might be.