Exercising his Free Speech: Pastor Jones may burn Korans on 9-11

[ScreamingEagle]

This guy has every right to oppose the ground zero mosque and burn Korans on 9/11......or have you freedom-loving liberals changed your minds about free speech....and forgotten about all those Bibles and U.S. flags that you've burned in the past...?

Seems like President Obama doesn't care much about free speech....he laid it on about the Constitutional right to freedom of religion and the Immam's right to build a mosque at ground zero....but then attempts to silence Pastor Jones....why don't you defend his Constitutional right to free speech, Mr. Obama? Or are you just a quisling that cows from our radical enemies?

Rev. Terry Jones repeated his claim on Friday's news program that he was promised the Ground Zero mosque would be moved on the condition he'd cancel a koran-burning rally on the anniversary of 9/11.

So…will he or won't he?

Despite being ripped by world leaders for his flip-flop on planning to burn copies of the Koran, Rev. Terry Jones continued his media blitz on Friday morning, appearing on several cable news morning shows to defend himself.

It's still unclear if the Koran burnings will take place.

Jones repeated his claim that he called off the Koran burnings at his congregation in Florida on the anniversary of Sept. 11, only after he was promised the proposed mosque at Ground Zero would be moved. He called Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, founder of the mosque project, a liar.

What began as two separate stories—the proposed mosque at Ground Zero and the planned Koran burnings— oddly melded into one on Thursday.

"I asked him three or four times. I said ‘let me make this clear, if we cancel our event on Saturday, then the mosque in New York City will be moved from its present location. He said yes. There was absolutely no doubt about it," Jones said on NBC's "Today."

Rauf denied that a mosque-move deal was ever on the table. He also said he never spoke to Jones or Imam Muhammad Musri of the Islamic Society of Central Florida, the supposed go-between.

Jones said that he still plans to meet with Rauf in New York on Saturday, and if that meeting happens, he will not burn the Korans. It was still unclear if he'd ultimately go ahead with his plans.

He also told CBS' "The Early Show" on Friday that "Right now, we have called the event off, based upon the offer that the Imam gave us." The pastor's statements left open the possibility that the Koran burning could still take place on Saturday evening.

Even amid all the confusion, world leaders slammed Jones.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniya called Jones a "religious criminal" and "retard that expresses a Western-retarded mentality" CNN reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and United Nations Secretary-General Bank Ki-moon, all condemned proposed burning.

Even President Obama urged him to call it off, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates took the extraordinary step of phoning Jones personally, appealing to him not to put U.S. soldiers in danger by staging "International Burn a Koran Day."

Read more: Pastor Terry Jones goes on morning media blitz, clarifies little about burning Korans, mosque

 

[Bill O'Olberman]

He and his congregation have every right to make themselves look like idiots... as long as they are in compliance with local fire ordinances and such.

 

[ScreamingEagle]

He and his congregation have every right to make themselves look like idiots... as long as they are in compliance with local fire ordinances and such.

then why doesn't our great leader just say so instead of trying to shut Jones down.....?

....Oh....i know why....he's just scared shitless of stepping on the toes of these anti-Americans....

 

[rightwinger]

He is free to exercise his freedom of speech and the government cannot take action against him. Obama acknowledged that and has not tried to use the law to stop him

But there is nothing in the first amendment that says there are no consequences for your exercise of free speech.

If their use of free speech results in Americans being killed at home or abroad, it is on the good pastors and his congregations head. If the community or country wants to blame them and not deal with them , then it is their right.

If he truly believes in god, then let him answer to god

 

[Bill O'Olberman]

He and his congregation have every right to make themselves look like idiots... as long as they are in compliance with local fire ordinances and such.

then why doesn't our great leader just say so instead of trying to shut Jones down.....?

....Oh....i know why....he's just scared shitless of stepping on the toes of these anti-Americans....

Other than the obvious rhetoric showing his opposition (he is allowed to have a personal opinion on an issue, especially one as idiotic as this) to the burning of the Korans, how exactly is Obama "trying to shut Jones down?"

 

[Steerpike]

The First Amendment doesn't protect against other people's arguments or urgings. So long as the government doesn't try to stop Jones actually doing it, I don't think there's a Constitutional issue here.

 

[bodecea]

He and his congregation have every right to make themselves look like idiots... as long as they are in compliance with local fire ordinances and such.

then why doesn't our great leader just say so instead of trying to shut Jones down.....?

....Oh....i know why....he's just scared shitless of stepping on the toes of these anti-Americans....

Oh, Has Jones been arrested now?

 

[Avatar4321]

No one has disputed that they have the right to do so. We question the wisdom of doing so.

And I am encouraging people to encourage him to stop it because that's not what the Gospel of Jesus Christ stands for. Nor is it going to help anything. It's simply an inflamatory and very rude action. One that may cost our troops lives.

We have the power to speak freely. But with that power comes the responsibility to act maturely. With Great Power comes Great Responsibility.

Maybe we should take a cue from Peter Parker.

 

[ScreamingEagle]

He is free to exercise his freedom of speech and the government cannot take action against him. Obama acknowledged that and has not tried to use the law to stop him

But there is nothing in the first amendment that says there are no consequences for your exercise of free speech.

If their use of free speech results in Americans being killed at home or abroad, it is on the good pastors and his congregations head. If the community or country wants to blame them and not deal with them , then it is their right.

If he truly believes in god, then let him answer to god

No, it is NOT on the good pastor's head....that is your liberal mind of mush at work...

Any killing of Americans, domestic or abroad, because they don't like Pastor Jones burning of Korans, is strictly on the heads of those who would kill...
...and if they kill because a man simply exercises his free speech...then they are anti-American...

If an American were to kill Pastor Jones because he burned a Koran....that person would be arrested and tried for breaking the law...

 

[konradv]

This guy has every right to oppose the ground zero mosque and burn Korans on 9/11......or have you freedom-loving liberals changed your minds about free speech....and forgotten about all those Bibles and U.S. flags that you've burned in the past...?

Don't be such a douchebag. Nobody said he didn't have the right, just that he's a flaming idiot.

 

[ScreamingEagle]

He and his congregation have every right to make themselves look like idiots... as long as they are in compliance with local fire ordinances and such.

then why doesn't our great leader just say so instead of trying to shut Jones down.....?

....Oh....i know why....he's just scared shitless of stepping on the toes of these anti-Americans....

Other than the obvious rhetoric showing his opposition (he is allowed to have a personal opinion on an issue, especially one as idiotic as this) to the burning of the Korans, how exactly is Obama "trying to shut Jones down?"

Did you read the article? He even had Gates give Jones a call.

 

[ScreamingEagle]

This guy has every right to oppose the ground zero mosque and burn Korans on 9/11......or have you freedom-loving liberals changed your minds about free speech....and forgotten about all those Bibles and U.S. flags that you've burned in the past...?

Don't be such a douchebag. Nobody said he didn't have the right, just that he's a flaming idiot.

What... specifically... makes him an idiot?

 

[Synthaholic]

This guy has every right to oppose the ground zero mosque and burn Korans on 9/11......or have you freedom-loving liberals changed your minds about free speech....

You wingnuts have forgotten all about your hissy-fit over Cindy Sheehan exercising her free speech rights.

 

[Steerpike]

Yeah, that part you are correct about Screaming Eagle. Killing someone in response to burning a book is an irrational and ludicrous response. If someone is killed as a result of the Koran burning, then it is on the head of no one other than the murderer. Any other viewpoint on that is nonsense.

But I still don't see that the government has done anything to stop Jones. Government officials are free to criticize him all they want.

 

[ScreamingEagle]

Yeah, that part you are correct about Screaming Eagle. Killing someone in response to burning a book is an irrational and ludicrous response. If someone is killed as a result of the Koran burning, then it is on the head of no one other than the murderer. Any other viewpoint on that is nonsense.

But I still don't see that the government has done anything to stop Jones. Government officials are free to criticize him all they want.

If you got a phone call from the Department of Defense.....from a big wig General no less....wouldn't that consist of "doing something"....?? Or is that just an everyday happening....?

 

[Steerpike]

If you got a phone call from the Department of Defense.....from a big wig General no less....wouldn't that consist of "doing something"....?? Or does that just an everyday happening to you....?

I don't see a call from a government official trying to persuade me as being a violation of my rights. The government official still has his own First Amendment rights. Unless there was some sort of threat or coercion, I don't see that it crosses the line.

 

[rightwinger]

He is free to exercise his freedom of speech and the government cannot take action against him. Obama acknowledged that and has not tried to use the law to stop him

But there is nothing in the first amendment that says there are no consequences for your exercise of free speech.

If their use of free speech results in Americans being killed at home or abroad, it is on the good pastors and his congregations head. If the community or country wants to blame them and not deal with them , then it is their right.

If he truly believes in god, then let him answer to god

No, it is NOT on the good pastor's head....that is your liberal mind of mush at work...

Any killing of Americans, domestic or abroad, because they don't like Pastor Jones burning of Korans, is strictly on the heads of those who would kill...
...and if they kill because a man simply exercises his free speech...then they are anti-American...

If an American were to kill Pastor Jones because he burned a Koran....that person would be arrested and tried for breaking the law...

The good pastor is perfectly aware of the response his actions will yield. Our soldiers will be jeopardized, our ability to work with Iraqi and Afghan citizens will be jeopardized, increased AlQaida recruitment

He just doesn't care

He has the right to burn the Koran and is willing to let others face the consequences of his actions

Some Christian

 

[ScreamingEagle]

If you got a phone call from the Department of Defense.....from a big wig General no less....wouldn't that consist of "doing something"....?? Or does that just an everyday happening to you....?

I don't see a call from a government official trying to persuade me as being a violation of my rights. The government official still has his own First Amendment rights. Unless there was some sort of threat or coercion, I don't see that it crosses the line.

Sure maybe it was just a "call of persuasion".....however, Generals typically have a habit of giving orders...one way or nother...how many calls does your pastor get from Generals from the Department of Defense.....?

Obama of course would be stupid to outrightly violate the Pastors rights....but it sure doesn't stop him from "leaning" on the guy....why doesn't he lean on immam Rauf too?

 

[ScreamingEagle]

He is free to exercise his freedom of speech and the government cannot take action against him. Obama acknowledged that and has not tried to use the law to stop him

But there is nothing in the first amendment that says there are no consequences for your exercise of free speech.

If their use of free speech results in Americans being killed at home or abroad, it is on the good pastors and his congregations head. If the community or country wants to blame them and not deal with them , then it is their right.

If he truly believes in god, then let him answer to god

No, it is NOT on the good pastor's head....that is your liberal mind of mush at work...

Any killing of Americans, domestic or abroad, because they don't like Pastor Jones burning of Korans, is strictly on the heads of those who would kill...
...and if they kill because a man simply exercises his free speech...then they are anti-American...

If an American were to kill Pastor Jones because he burned a Koran....that person would be arrested and tried for breaking the law...

The good pastor is perfectly aware of the response his actions will yield. Our soldiers will be jeopardized, our ability to work with Iraqi and Afghan citizens will be jeopardized, increased AlQaida recruitment

He just doesn't care

He has the right to burn the Koran and is willing to let others face the consequences of his actions

Some Christian

Seems like he's just a Christian holding his views forth in the typical liberal format....and he cares...

You moan about the problems overseas....but our soldiers are quite capable of taking care of themseves...and besides, i thought most muslims were "moderate" by and large so why are you worried about a few more "radicals"....?

You need to know there are two kinds of jihad.....radical and stealth....

...our soldiers can fight the radical jihad.....but Pastor Jones is engaging the steath jihad....

 

[rightwinger]

No, it is NOT on the good pastor's head....that is your liberal mind of mush at work...

Any killing of Americans, domestic or abroad, because they don't like Pastor Jones burning of Korans, is strictly on the heads of those who would kill...
...and if they kill because a man simply exercises his free speech...then they are anti-American...

If an American were to kill Pastor Jones because he burned a Koran....that person would be arrested and tried for breaking the law...

The good pastor is perfectly aware of the response his actions will yield. Our soldiers will be jeopardized, our ability to work with Iraqi and Afghan citizens will be jeopardized, increased AlQaida recruitment

He just doesn't care

He has the right to burn the Koran and is willing to let others face the consequences of his actions

Some Christian

Seems like he's just a Christian holding his views forth in the typical liberal format....and he cares...

You moan about the problems overseas....but our soldiers are quite capable of taking care of themseves...and besides, i thought most muslims were "moderate" by and large so why are you worried about a few more "radicals"....?

You need to know there are two kinds of jihad.....radical and stealth....

...our soldiers can fight the radical jihad.....but Pastor Jones is engaging the steath jihad....

Pastor Jones is a fucking idiot more concerned about getting his face on TV than the potential consequences of his actions