News-Record.com

It almost sounds like the publishing of the cartoons was an afterthought. Sometimes I get the impression that's the way the Rhino gets put together every week. It's probably by design.

On the other hand, they DO have Orson Scott Card, and that tends to make up for any shortcomings the Rhino may have.

It's a story tailor-made for an alt-weekly...

Only because the mainstream media isn't up to the task.

As a practioner of tree worship, I object to the title of your blog.

Words don't kill people. People kill people. Words just seem to be easy excuses after the fact.

If I could in one cartoon insult everyone in the entire world equally I would, if for no other reason than to unite the world.

John Robinson, the News & Record's editor, said Thursday, "We don't readily publish material that we think will be offensive to a portion of our readership unless there is a compelling civic purpose to do so."

John, you are a hypocrite. I'm offended daily by columns and articles in your newspaper. I find Molly Ivans and Doonesbury highly-offensive and they serve no compelling civic purpose that I can see, other than as hate mongers. Robinson and Pitts are also regularly offensive, but you continue to print their columns. That's why I have issues with your newspaper. You are selective about your scrupples and moral judgments. You are selective about whom you choose to offend. You don't want to offend any Muslims, but your newspaper regularly offends a large number of residents of this county every day.

I think the NR and say...CNN are intimidated by the thugs.

I'm still on my first cup of coffee so had to read Roch's comment twice to make sense of it. Right on Roch! To heck with the small stuff if you're gonna be offended then dive right in and go for the really,really OFFENSIVE.

Stormy I agree with you on Molly and have written to Mr. Robinson asking him to dump her, but Leonard Pitts Jr. is one of the best. (Pulitzer Prize for Commentary 2004.)

Congratulations to the Rhino for having the intestinal fortitude to go against the grain and publish even two.

Where were these local Muslim community leaders when all this was going on. Don't believe I heard them screaming for the killing and rioting to stop.

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Six people were killed and dozens injured as enraged Muslims staged more violent demonstrations across Asia and the Middle East over the publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed.
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A Muslim crowd gathered in central London shouting, "7/7 is on the way": a call for more atrocities along the lines of the July 7 London bombings. Two of the placards brandished by the crowd read: "Be prepared for the real Holocaust" and "Butcher those who mock Islam".
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World leaders launched a desperate bid yesterday to stop the crisis spiralling out of control as more newspapers, including The Jerusalem Post, printed the pictures, more European embassies were attacked and more ambassadors recalled
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Iran suspended all trade with Denmark, where the cartoons were originally printed. Denmark warned its citizens to avoid travel to 14 Muslim countries. Travel companies cancelled flights to Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, affecting 15,000 holidaymakers
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Police fired on demonstrators in Indonesia after they began attacking the US and Danish consulates in the city of Surabaya.
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In Delhi, Indian police fired teargas to disperse demonstrators who were burning Danish flags
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Chechnya's acting Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov said all Danish organisations would be banned from working in the mainly Muslim region.

Some Muslims might find the depictions offensive, but the right to offend within the law is fundamental to free speech.

John, there's so much "material" in your post to work with that one does not know where to start. It's that "abundance of riches" feeling Jay Leno & Dave Letterman must have had when Dick Cheney accidentally shot the lawyer*.

But I am going to take a deep breath and step away from the computer. Maybe I'll change my mind tomorrow - after I read the N&R's article on the Rhino. Have a nice weekend.

*So as not to "offend" anyone, I wish the lawyer a quick recovery (almost can't believe I said that), and sincerely hope that the VP's fragile ticker does not take too much of a beating from the stress of shooting his pal (or from the White House press corps for sitting on the story for so long). Poor Dick looked pretty pastey in photographs yesterday.

John,

I am intrigued by your comment that the mission of an alternative weekly newspaper is different than a daily. That comment seems to imply a superior more noble mission for the daily. Are you suggesting again that the alternative weekly paper is all about faux news again, rather than the important, compelling news that affects all of us? Yeah, like the Cheney Shooter story yesterday written by a Baltimore Sun reporter on the front page above the fold. Now, that's a big story with compelling civic purpose, I suppose.

Now that one of the "religion of peace" clerics has actually put a BOUNTY on the heads of the artists of the cartoons, will you reconsider your preposterious argument NOT to publish the cartoons?

Let me break this down into plain language:

People draw a cartoon of a religious figure that has been drawn and and represented for thousands of years.

Nuts start rioting and practicing revisionist history that this image of Muhammad should never been displayed or recreated. Violence and destruction ensues.

Few papers publish them.

Now, a cleric of this wonderful, peaceful, oh-so-understanding religion wants the people who drew the CARTOONS to die.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1631520

Are you seriously now going to say that this is NOT worth publishing?

You're telling me that I'm not to learn in your paper or on your website what is going to CAUSE someone to commit conspiracy of MURDER? Or another person to actually commit murder?

Stormy, as the name suggests, alternative weeklies act as alternatives to the daily newspaper. They push the envelope more. Had we published the cartoons, I doubt the Rhino would have. We didn't, so they did.

There's still time JR. Don't let Hammer have this over you for the rest of eternity.

Okay John, I walked away from the computer for a little while - and came back (a detour from checking my e-mail) only to find that you've gone totaly LAME. Some of us live in Randolph County. I enjoy the Rhino when I can get my hands on it, but the "alternative weekly" down here is the Randolph Guide. And while the good folks there are certainly less absorbed with political & economic agendas - and occasionally scoop the Courier Tribune and News & Record on stories those bigger, "civically-minded" newspapers should be telling (like Pediatricians protesting in front of local hosptials) - they do not exactly "push the envelope" on anything.

The Rhino published CARTOONS that you wouldn't get near - it really doesn't matter if it was with or without commentary (it sounds like the Rhino let them stand on their own), or what page they were on, or why you think they did it. Hammer is THE hammer on this one. And anything the N&R publishs on the Rhino now (to help us all understand) is sour grapes.

I am going to try to step away again without tapping into the abundance of riches your first post offered. I await the opportunity to stomp grapes tomorrow.

John,

I understand now. Alternative weeklies, aka The Rhino, boldly goes where no daily ever dares to go.

Ever hear of "no guts, no glory", John?

Let's not lose sight of the fact that the Rhino's masthead says, "All the rumors fit to print."

That's serious journalism there, by gosh!

And the comments concerning Cheif Wray that have never been substantiated are not rumors? Guess the N&R considers them to be fact if they come from the "right" person.

What comments are those, mrproduce?

You mean you don't read your own paper John? You know dang well what I mean. Comments, which were printed made by groups who have no real knowledge but seem to wish to try, convict and tar and feather the man without a trial.

Sorry, mrp, but you're going to have to be more specific than that.

Does anyone else here sense that, due to the proliferation of the internet and the availability of the cartoons online, it is quite irrelevant if the GNR publishes the cartoons or not. JR's rationalizations aside, who cares what they put in their print product?

Those cartoons were so on point from a commentary perspective that the Muslim reaction only reinforces their poignancy. And we're all talking about whether a manufacturing concern in GSO, N.C. slaps ink to paper and tosses it in 90,000+ driveways.

The point of the cartoons was how absurd it is for a “peace loving religion” to not take a firm stand against terror as a political tool.

It is more absurd for an entity that is supposed to be a champion of truth, freedom and the First Amendment to even think about not printing the cartoons. We live in a western democracy that traces its roots to Ancient Greece. We don’t live under fear of violence, or at least we shouldn’t.

The cartoon of the bombers coming to the gates of heaven and the man saying, “Stop people, we ran out of virgins” was a great political cartoon. Should have run in American papers when it first came out.

I’m reminded of one of the funniest cartoons ever, “The Far Side” where Gary Larson had a great cartoon of a man standing in front of the mirror with his hair perfectly split down the middle as he held his arms out to his side. “Moses parting his hair” was the caption. I still laugh when I look at it.

The point being, Mohammed and Moses were men, they are not even God. Why should we refrain from drawing a picture of a man? We shouldn’t.

Back to the GNR and print or not to print? It shows how deep corporate journalism has been sold out to financial considerations as opposed to the truth. If I want an update on the latest reality show or news I read 16 hours ago online, I get a newspaper. Otherwise, it’s a relic.

Harvest that marketshare John.

John it's a bit difficult to quote directly and since I am not paying to access the archives for the entire article I will have to be less than accurate with no quotes but still within bounds.
How about the group of ministers(?) calling for his head and making accusations of racism? Do they have all the facts. This paper quoted them, in fact ran a rather large article giving them all the space need ed to attempt to try, convict and hang this man without a trial. I beleive the quasi police union, whatever they call themselves got a bit of press in their negativity toward this man. Heck I don't know much about him except from what folks I know in G'boro tell me and what I read in the N&R. But is just doesn't smell good when the tar pot is already boiling. There are other articles. I don't make copies of this type of story as a usual rule but you can bet your sweet I most certainly will after this.

Just a comment on the individual that wrote in about the Lordy Lordy being a wrong since it was taking God's name in vain. Sorry but God's name is not Lord. Lord is what he is and not who he is. So just another case of rant unnecessary and unwarranted.
However I don't believe the lady said that she was putting a hit order on you John or the sports writer who used the title. So far she has not burned the N&R offices down and has not taken to the streets with her fellow church goes and rioted and caused damage to buildings, cars etc and certainly has not been firing their Uzi's or AK47 s at those who do not attend their church. I don't believe that the pastor will stand in the pulpit on Sunday morning and call for the annihilation of those infidels at the N&R and for all those who are not standing and rioting with them. Well, lets hope not for there are some who might make the call from the pulpit to strike you all dead and/send the wrath of God down upon you in form of a fire and brimstone and the condemn you all to eternal hell. It is folks like the one who wrote this letter who know little of the teaching of their Lord Jesus for he said that he was insulted and would be insulted even more by being crucified which was not the Jewish way of capital punishment, it was the Roman way. He went on to say that they , if they were his followers they should expect to have the same treatment. He was saying it was an honor to be insulted so expect it. Unfortunately the Islamist don't see it that way.

You GO get 'em Mr. P!

P.S. Ginger and I have gone another round on the first round.

Jsykes, as I indicated in my last post on the original thread, the toons have actually been on the evening news down East this week - and in commercial promos. It's a different market.

I could have sworn that I have seen "the virgins" cartoon before - or a variation - maybe after 9/11?

And now, the backlash has hit our shores...

No violence -- yet -- but lots of very peaceful placards from those in the "religion of peace."

Get the news here that the NR won't give you.

I'm sure the folks in these photos just haven't found a KFC to burn to the ground yet.

Jim:

That's a great link. Thanks for the tip.

The people who sell the cartoon T-Shirt are sharing/posting their hate mail: Hate Mail

I read today's N&R article. Kind of a letdown after JR's tease. No earth-shattering revelations. No extra insight.

Imagine what would have happened if Christians reacted the same way over Mapplethorpe's "Piss Christ" back in the late 80's. Being offended (real or as an excuse) doesn't give you the right to go out and kill people and destroy things. The real story should not be the cartoons, but the reaction to them. If we get to the point where we can't print the truth or report on facts because it may offend a group of people, then we will no longer need the First Amendment because it will not be government censorship that we need to fear, it will be our touchy-feely, gutless selves.

I think this blows John Robinson's argument to smithereens.

http://egyptiansandmonkey.blogspot.com/2006/02/boycott-egypt.html

As LibraryMan said, in the posts for Sandmonkey, "Holy smoking gun, Batman!"

But I don't get the Egyptian papers - so where did I see that "virgins" cartoon? Because it - or something very close to it - has been out long before now.

I think Grandpa smoked a little too much in the 60's...

Does anyone know where Grandpa came from? It is rather obvious the old gentleman is suffering from dementia so if you know where he belongs will you please lead him back to his cave. And be sure to bar the door when you leave. After all he might get loose and start ranting on the corner of Eugene and Lee and one of the "Black Booked" Greensboro cops will have to arrest him.

"grandpa" is blog spam, sent by a bot (robotic program). You're big time when you get blog spam. Congrats, JR.

When this string attracts grandpa I know it's gone too far. He's outta here!