Freedom of Speech or Free of the Truth

The Rocky Mountain News and Editor John Temple would have us believe the publishing of an offensive cartoon of the prophet Muhammad is only an exercise in old fashioned “freedom of speech”.
The cartoon in question was one of a dozen run in Europe to prove the point of tolerance and free speech. Muslims world wide were offended by the cartoons for violating a basic tenet of their faith. Islamic belief is any depiction of the Prophet is idolatry.
Such belief isn’t new to religion. Jewish faith and Christian faith have a commandment against graven images of God.
Unfortunately some fanatics calling themselves Muslim fanned the flames of hatred that led to violent rampages against European embassies and in European cities. These fanatics and the foolish sheep that followed them don’t represent true Islamic faith anymore than the hypocrites spewing hate in the name of Christians represent Christ.
The editorial accompanying the cartoon by the News blusters on about freedom of speech and tolerance while it paints all Muslims with the same brush of intolerance. The editorial perpetuates the portrayal of Muslims as a violent people.
If Temple and the News asked around the world about Americans they’d surely get the portrayal of all Americans as violent. Given the American history of war and violence that portrayal would be closer to the truth.
The freedom of speech issues sound high minded on the part of Temple and the News. Too bad the same criteria aren’t applied to the press coverage for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Journalism is flawed when it is “embedded” with politics.
The same criteria haven’t been used in the viewing of bodies in caskets returning to Dover AFB in Delaware.
I’ve not read editorials about the new American free speech zones that prevent any dissenting voice from getting into public gatherings of the President of the United States of America. The same free speech zones keep Americans citizens from being in view of the President in most cases if they disagree with his policies.
I find it no accident the News also ran a negative cartoon about Hamas on the same page as the editorial and offensive cartoon of the Prophet. Tying Islam with Palestinian radicals is one more way of the News demonizing Muslims.
The real truth is an old adage about journalism, if it bleeds it leads. Offending Muslims doesn’t matter to the News. The news has consistently used Muslims, Islamic radicals, terrorists or Arab terrorists as interchangeable words.
Defining Islamic views is of little value to newspapers used as willing dupes for the tyranny of George Bush. Investigating the truth about WMD’s or getting to the truth of cronyism by the regime doesn’t interfere with the propaganda role of the mainstream press.