Jeez... It's just a cartoon

I'm a little distraught about the violence that's broken out regarding the Jyllands Posten cartoons. Wotthehell has gotten into some people? The Islamic World is burning because a guy with a pen tried to make a point. The newspaper that published the cartoon has apologized already, but others, and I think rightly so, have reprinted them to make a statement about freedom of speech.

The actual intent of the cartoon was to provoke some thought about organized religion and violence. While I don't profess to be a Christian, it's certainly a big part of the my culture, and our collective history in the west. We've definitely made our fair share of mistakes in the name of religion, and those mistakes aren't in the distant past either. Now, it seems it's the eastern world's turn to do the same. Everyone should listen to Bob Dylan's tune "With God On Our Side."

The worst part of the whole controversy is that people are publishing more cartoons to inflame the situation rather than backing off. Cooler heads should prevail. It takes two to tango as the old saying goes. I don't agree that the Muslim world should be worked up about the controversy, but I also think it's time for the west to show a little more tolerance for their beliefs. You can't foster understanding and dialogue by insulting them in the first place.

We westerners really like to wring our hands and say that we're so progressive and above this sort of thing. The truth is, there are a lot of thin skinned folks everywhere, and it's getting more prevalent. Take a look at the amount of friction that Fred Phelps or Pat Robertson can cause. These men profess to be Christians, but all they do is spew hate and contempt for anyone who doesn't adhere to their point of view. It's not so different from the dogmatic Muslims who are getting really uptight about a cartoon.

There's nothing bad that a good asteroid impact wouldn't fix I always say.