"The Vatican Doesn't Issue Fatwas!"

Mark Shea for CE on "The Day the Free Press Committed Suicide"

Priceless.

He observes the blatent hypocrisy and cowardice of Reasonable MSM.

When it comes to covering Christians, newsmakers and the MSM establishment pat themselves on the back for opposing "Theocracy":

Any morning for the past 20 years, a Christian could expect to turn on the tube or open the paper and be regaled with the glories of a crucifix immersed in a vat of urine or an image of the Blessed Virgin covered in dung. Organs like the New York Times have been only too happy to keep us up to date on these latest cutting-edge developments in blasphemy. And naturally, Christian complaints have been simultaneously disregarded as the petty bleats of small-minded censors and as the ominous rumbles of an incipient theocratic regime that is just about to impose martial law and crush the free press. This way, journalists could not only bully voiceless Christians who do not have access to the editorial pages of the Times, but also pat themselves on the back for their raw courage as they pound on the beliefs of quiet, decent people who grieve when their crucified Lord is subjected to further abuse. All these journalists had to do was intone words about the sacredness of our free press and they were off the hook.

But when it comes to covering muslims, suddenly MSM can't put on the kid gloves fast enough. Or run for cover fast enough, for that matter:

Then came the Cartoon Jihad, when real theocrats who really do want to impose Islamic law on the whole world, crush the free press, and shout (as one Islamic protester so eloquently summed up his beliefs), "Freedom go to hell!" The response of the champions of the free press in the New York Times, (and Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune) editorial rooms (among others): They would not publish the Danish cartoons because of a sudden and exquisite sensitivity to the religious sensibilities of their readers.

Uh huh.

Get real. The Phoenix summed up the real reason for this miraculous attack of religious sensitivity:

There are three reasons not to publish the Danish cartoons depicting Mohammed with his turban styled as a bomb and the other images that have sparked violent protests and deaths throughout Europe, the Middle East, West Asia, and Indonesia:

1) Out of fear of retaliation from the international brotherhood of radical and bloodthirsty Islamists who seek to impose their will on those who do not believe as they do. This is, frankly, our primary reason for not publishing any of the images in question.

Thus, he calls them the name they've earned for themselves: hypocrites!

But if, like the mainstream media, you are going to paint yourself as the valiant defenders of The People's Right to Know and the Paladins of Free Speech every time you pants a Christian, then for heaven's sake at least have the courage of your convictions. If the mainstream media had a consistent policy of simply not pulling the noses of religious believers, I would not arraign them for their rank cowardice. But the reality is, as we all know now, that their long habit of ignorant, cowardly bullying of Christians is rooted in the fact that they know Christians will seldom fight back with violence since their Lord has forbidden them to do so. But that same media, which portrays its bullying of Christians as "courage in the face of theocrats" is now on record as curling up in a cowardly little ball when we really need it to do the work of defending free speech in the face of thin-skinned bullies from the Bronze Age.

I made a similar observation shortly after the story broke:

Has not the cliche of virtually every MSM operator been "the public's right to know"? Have not their giants repeatedly proclaimed the importance of their institutions to society?

They have. Then along comes a relevent and risky story. It's relevent because some of the fires the violent mobs set have not yet burned out. It's risky because these same mobs, and their opportunistic instigators, have promised violent attacks and even murder on those that carry the heart of the story. That heart, of course, are the controversial Danish cartoons that depict Mohammad in admittedly an offensive light. Nevertheless, these cartoons are the story.

And how has the MSM addressed this story? With dereliction of their self-proclaimed duty. With hypocrisy. With silence.

(snip)

I'm a guy that runs a blog in order to offer anyone who reads it a taste of the Foolishness of Roman Catholic Christianity. I'm about reflection, opinion/analysis, poetry and whatever other foolishness comes to mind.

The MSM, on the other hand, inform the people of a representative democratic society. They have long advocated their essential role in ensuring the continuation of our tradition. They do this, they say, by providing us with the information we need in order to live free and govern our lives in that freedom. In other words, they live upon the foundation of the first ammendment of the United State's Constitution. They have a made a contract with the American People--and their other consumers throughout the world--to protect the people's "right to know" and to deliver them the news.

They have failed to honor this agreement by not printing the cause of the hottest international story in weeks. Whether through their own liberal guilt, fear of islamofascist intimidation or some combination, the champions of MSM have let the American people down.

They have also encouraged the enemies of free speech--and non-sharia thinking--to continue their totalitarian violence and public intimidation. Recall that the Nazis in the late twenties and early thirties participated in similar public "protests" as the one islamofascist radicals take part in today.

The Reasonable MSM have flushed their credibility and integrity down the toilet bowel. The entire world witnessed their hypocrisy and cowerdice. They've numbered their own days.

If they have any hope of surviving long-term, they had better surrender their devotion to the Reasonable Agenda and actually start informing their consumers. The internet, cable news and the growing diversity of Talk Radio has ensured that MSM will never again enjoy the monopoly they grew fat upon. That's a good thing for them and for we the people. Perhaps a little competition will help them find their spines and their principles. If not, plenty stand ready to take their place.