Make the May 20th “Everyone Draw Mohammed Day” National Stand Against Tyranny Day

After the Prophet Mohammed was depicted on Comedy Central’s South Park back in April, a Muslim website threatened them with death. Oh, not in so many words…they just posted a warning that what happened to Dutch film maker Theo Van Gogh might just befall them.

Van Gogh had the unmitigated nerve to depict Mohammed in one of his films. That blasphemy cost him his life at the hands of a follower of the "Religion of Peace.” Kurt Westergaard, the Danish cartoonist who drew unflattering cartoons of Mohammed a few years back (some of which are reproduced in this post) is still under threat of a death fatwa and is in hiding. Just last week a Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who drew Mohammed as a dog back in 2007 was assaulted during a lecture by a Muslim who was part of the group seeking to punish him. Vilks is a professor of art theory at the University of Uppsala in Sweden.

Comedy Central, showing all the courage of a rabbit, censored subsequent broadcasting of the Mohammed character storyline, effectively caving into the threats of extremist Muslim imbeciles. After all, no American has ever risked their life for free speech, why should Comedy Central be the trend setters? Oh wait… lots of Americans have fought and died for our right to free speech. Oh well, never mind.

In an admirable display of ballsiness Seattle cartoonist Molly Norris asked fellow illustrators all over America to show their solidarity in support of free speech as granted under the 1st Amendment; to stand up to those throwbacks who would impose their will and truncate our rights with threat and innuendo. She suggested that on May 20 cartoonists draw and display their depictions of the Prophet Mohammed. Unfortunately, fearing for her life, Norris wimped out and backed off her suggestion.

I’m not a cartoonist, but I am an advocate for free speech, no matter who it offends. Supporting free speech doesn’t mean supporting only speech you like or agree with, but this is lost on the followers of Mohammed. This is America, not 7th century Saudi. I don’t, none of us should, kowtow to demands of those to whom free speech is but a phrase and who value ignorant superstition over one of our most cherished rights. As Ben Franklin is credited with saying: “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” I’ll give up not a jot of my liberty.

Thus, the images that follow represent my stand against those who would attempt to coerce freedom loving people into silence. No amount of threat will force me to abandon my rights, nor will it succeed in imposing respect for their senseless religious precepts, prohibitions and medieval culture.

So now what? Fatwa? Jihad? Am I to become camel hump hummus for Achmed and Abdul tonight? Here’s a suggestion for the thug followers of the pedophile prophet and purveyor of ignorance, enslavement and death: "Pound sand, this is America!" Stand up against tyranny, on May 20 depict a picture of Mohammed.