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America’s disgraceful State Department Just as newspapers around Europe and beyond are coming to the support of Jyllands-Posten in Denmark, US State Department spokesman Kurtis Cooper has said that freedom of expression in a European country is “not acceptable”.
Firstly, who the hell asked the US State Department to opine on something in a newspaper in Denmark? Secondly, if they are going to take a side here, are religious extremists so deeply entrenched in the US political establishment that they cannot understand the importance maintaining secular rights to free expression in the face of attempts at religious censorship and overt intimidation?
Land of the free, home of the brave, eh? Not in Washington DC it seems. Rather than face down the intolerant face of radical Islam, the US State Department is pandering to it. This is a national disgrace and I hope some US newspapers will show how they feel by supporting their colleagues in Denmark and publishing the damn cartoons themselves and telling Kurtis Cooper where he can stick his political master’s craven opinions.
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…..while I would have preferred no statement to this statement, I do think there a wee bit of irony here.
After all, it’s the Europeans who have been playing a game of being the ‘Good Western civ’ to the US’s ‘bad western civ’ for the last couple of years…. it is quite interesting to see the reaction when the tables get turned.
What’s sauce for the goose….
The State Dept is notoriously full of leftists. This is how they think.
Oh, wait… ALL of our Departments are full of Leftists… My bad.
Yes, but given a choice between beating down media outlets, and beating the Muslim fanatics, what did you expect this administration to do? And what about the (lack of) courage shown by CNN and MSNBC? If it wasn’t for the bloggers, we wouldn’t even know what the ruckus was all about in this country!
What a fool you are. “The Europeans”? Are you as big a collectivist ass as the Muslim protesters who are acting as if every Dane drew those cartoons? This is exactly the sort of issue which could seperate the Dhimmis and the Rationals in Europe and what do your half witted public servants in Foggy Bottom do? Decline to back up America’s natural supporters in order to curry favour with people who will still despise the US regardless. Amazing.
Except that there is a problem with the story. For the complete transcript see State Department transcript.
“Firstly, who the hell asked the US State Department to opine on something in a newspaper in Denmark?”
A journalist of course! The State dept spokesman, being seemingly bored by the quesiton, equivocated – defending free speech and urging the respect of minorities. You get the impression he couldn’t care less.
Stop making the assumtion that Washington DC gives a crap about “freedom” or “liberty.” It doesn’t. I’m American and I pray everyday that DC is nuked into the obilivion it so richly deserves.
anonymous
Pathetic. Let me guess, you hate Chimpy McBushHitler right?
There are a half million people in DC and you pray for them to be incinerated. And you call yourself an American? You can’t be an American — you have to be human to be a citizen. Pathetic SOB
Before anyone says anything yes I know I fell for the troll, hook line and sinker.
Perhaps he meant that it isn’t acceptable for Europeans to get themselves into this type of controversy because it is often the US that has to come to help, with the resulting expense and US deaths. It’s only a six or seven years since US troops were fighting in Europe because Europeans couldn’t cope with their own troubles.
John Steele makes a good point, in that the transcript contains no mention of “press responsibility” but rather a robust defence of freedom of expression.
Meanwhile, compare Jack Straw’s remarks, as reported in The Scotsman:
Mr Straw said: “There is freedom of speech, we all respect that, but there is not any obligation to insult or to be gratuitously inflammatory. I believe that the republication of these cartoons has been unnecessary, it has been insensitive, it has been disrespectful and it has been wrong.”
With his French opposite number’s, as reported in the original Telegraph story:
Philippe Douste-Blazy, the French foreign minister, said: “It is not normal to caricature a whole religion as an extremist or terrorist movement.” But the extreme reaction to the cartoons “would suggest the caricaturists were right,” he added.
I never thought I’d see the day…
If one reads the transcript one sees that the state department spokesman tried hard to say that it was wrong to gratuitously insult a religion while maintaining that Freedom of the press is a basic America value.
Being a typical bureaucrat he blabed on and on and the reporters seized on part of his blab to write this ridiculous story.
I bought a bottle of Danish Aquavit this evening and I’m encouraging everyone to drink as much Carlsberg beer as is safe and sane from them.
What??? You mean the USAF is not going to provide close air support for the Jyllands-Posten offices in Copenhagen? No US Marines defending The Little Mermaid statue?
Oh please. No, I really don’t think the spokesmen had anything like what you suggest in mind.
Taylor wrote:
‘If one reads the transcript one sees that the state department spokesman tried hard to say that it was wrong to gratuitously insult a religion while maintaining that Freedom of the press is a basic America value. ‘
Well, not quite. He said that it was offensive. He spoke about respecting the beliefs of others. And the word ‘unacceptable’ was only used as a relative expression – pointing out that these cartoons are as unacceptable as expressions which offend and insult members of other religions. He did not say that it was ‘wrong’, and he repeatedly and effectively stated that the US Government does not control what people do and don’t print, and that these cartoons and other expressions like them, while they may be offensive and insulting, that they are free speech and that the government has no business doing anything to either help or hinder it.
I knew the story was a wrong ‘un when it was first splashed on MichelleMalkin.com and other right-wing web sites. The State Department may be full of lefty pro-Arab moonbats, but they’re not so stupid as to say something like that. This was the media grasping desperately for a story on this – the SD spokesman used the word ‘unacceptable’ in an answer to the question about this, so the headline is ‘US State Department calls cartoons ‘unacceptable”. When, of course, he did nothing of the kind.
llater,
llamas
Looking at the transcripts I agree that the Telegraph article was rather misleading. Whilst the SD was less than rousing in their defence of liberty as one might expect, my comments are perhaps over-harsh given the whole context of what was said.
Dhimmi Straw says: “I believe that the republication of these cartoons has been unnecessary, it has been insensitive, it has been disrespectful and it has been wrong.”
Why is this ignorant little Marxist opining officially about events that did not take place in Britain? No one in Britain dared to publish these boring and ancient cartoons, so that should give him a nice warm glow. Does he really think that anyone give a crap about any opinion that seeps out of his Marxist vapid, 10th rate mind?
Here’s an anecdote from my past which I believe is how one should deal with Islamics. A member of my family was editor of her university student paper. One evening I received a call from a male who because of his accent and my job as a linguistics professor I recognized as a native speaker of Arabic besides which the cerebrally challenged dolt had given me his name. He made a very nasty threat against my family member because he and his fellow Islamics did not like – not the coverage they were getting but – the lack of coverage of their doings. My reply was that I had his name and I surmised he was probably on a student visa and he had just made an ominous threat which I intended to report to the RCMP. His response a grovelling – pliz leddy was chust a jaouke – please lady was just a joke. Then he began to sob. The moral of the story is don’t ever, ever, ever pander or try reasoning with these people they are all insane, delusional and psychotic to an amazing degree.
I absolutely agree, Millie.
Once in Singapore, I was standing at a frozen food counter and two Arab men came up and treated me as though I was invisible and simply walked – I won’t even say pushed because they would have had to acknowledge my presence to push me – in front of me so I had to step back, talking between themselves.
I rounded on them and said along the lines of, “You can use this spot when I have vacated it. But right now I am standing on it and I will not be moving. Now get out of my way and stay out of my way. If you see me coming down any aisle in this store, turn around and use another aisle. Do you understand?”
“Oh, yes, yes, lady! Sorry, lady! Please excuse! Sorry, sorry, lady. Didn’t mean ….” They slunk off and, here’s the capper: I’d forgotten about it and happened to find myself in the same aisle with them and they turned around and walked quickly off.”
They’re bullying jerks and they react to a firm hand the way all bullies react. Instead of being so “sensitive” along the politically correct controlling, yet cowardly, Ian Blair and Jack Straw, these people should have been told placards calling for violence would be confiscated and anyone covering their face would be arrested.” They’d have complied.
Will do. Actually I’m responsible for supplying beer to a SuperBowl party tomorrow. Any other good Danish brands anyone would care to recommend? We’ll have Danish beer all ’round. Only appropriate in light of the fact that not a single major US newspaper has yet published any of the cartoons (that I’m aware of), not even in a story explaining Jihadistan’s national “day of anger” yesterday.
(Well that and the fact that, with minor exceptions, most major label US beers also bear the distinction of being among the few, the proud that are even worse than their Canadian counterparts…)
Rather than face down the intolerant face of radical Islam, the US State Department is pandering to it. Pandering to it ? As in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere ? More seriously, after Abu Ghraib, Gitmo and the rest of the giant hot geopolitical potato, I’d expect US diplomats to try and refrain from throwing more fuel on a hot fire, maybe even take a relatively more accomodating stance to – totally hopelessly imo- defuse a bit of the Crusader-on-a-rampage arguments.
They of course picked the wrong issue and the worst stand but what else do you expect from government agencies except people f***ing up by doing their job as conscientiously as they can ?
European nations, being in a rather different position wrt Muslim opinion, have more ammo and political capital to pick this kind of a fight; never mind that arguing about cartoons is probably as far as many among the European political and social elite will go these days, at least in public.
Moreover, should Bush lend his public support to Denmark and its press at this juncture, do you think that would be seen as a positive in Europe ? Would it help or hinder the argument for freedom ? I have no idea what lay behind this statement but we do live in times where the US has a better shot at making people support something by taking the opposite stand. I’d expect diplomats, of all people, to know this and leverage it when possible. This, however, is not emphatically not a case where they should do so.
But I’ll admit feeling quite happy watching the European press taking a “principled position” that is not synonymous with “assuming the position”.
Sadly despite the fact that we from danish side has made every effort to explain and apoligize for any hurt feelings, anything short of caving to extremist demands like limiting freedom of speech and punishing Jyllands-posten, the Danish Royal Embassy in Damaskus was this afternoon burnt down by angry mobs.
Regardsless of wheteher JP was stupid and insensitive in printing the cartoons in the first place or wheteher they were in their right to do so as a part of public debate, a debate which certainly has been proven necessary. The reaction to these cartoons has now in aggression and callousness far exceeded the original offense.
I can no longer see any sanity in the reactions from the muslim world if there ever was the slightest bit on the first place. I fear that Denmark has become the battleground in a case that has deeper and darker motives than the original 12 cartoons in JP.
Despite an enthusiastic boycot, which in its scope from a democratic perspective is a bit wide since it targets all danish buisness, and not just JP, we will not concede. I think a stern cancellation from all middle eastern subscribers of Jylland-Posten would have been appropriate, 🙂 but thats about it.
I thank all who supports us, and yourself in this struggle to maintain freedom of expression in all democracies.
First when this is a secure right we can extend courtesy and sensitivty towards each other. Respect and kindness means nothing if its demanded and claimed by force.
Slate has an interesting round-up of op-ed and opinion quotes in Arab news media.
Actually, I don’t think any heads of governments should get themselves involved in this domestic matter in Denmark and Norway. But some senators and MPs could have tabled a motion of support if they weren’t so cowed by Islam.
I would say perhaps this has woken the left up to the damage they did over the “abuse” at Gitmo, etc, but it hasn’t. This is going exactly where the left wants it to go. More and more curtailment of traditional rights and liberties in the name of “security”. (Personally, I would feel a lot more secure if the police didn’t allow incitement to violent not only on the British streets, but safeguarded by the police.)
The only place where there even a chance of the right taking control of this is the United States. Britain is a dictatorship
The only thing the State Department should have done was to go round to embassies from Muslim countries and explain that in civilised lands, the government very frequently has jack-all to say about what an independent press has to say, and to point out the multiple instances in Muslim newspapers of insult given to other religions.
Bully for the Euros, they are putting us to shame in this matter. I am ashamed of my government.
Millie,
Well done. Did you grass the toe rag to the relevant authorities?
Remember, they know very well how to “submit” 🙂
Thanks so much for your support. When I saw the statement yesterday (on LGF), I sent this e-mail to Foggy Bottom:
(Customer – 02/03/2006 09:44 PM)
Dear Ms. Secretary,
As a Dane, I have always loved and respected your country and seen it as a champion of liberty and democracy in a troubled world.
My country has lost soldiers in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq, fighting in coalition with the United States.
Today, the U.S. State Department has sided with Denmark´s enemies.
I could not believe my eyes when I read the issued statement and I can not express the sadness that I felt.
You have turned your back on a friend in need.
Regards,
Claus B. Olafsson
Before everyone goes getting their knickers all twisted over the State Department’s statement, realize this: most Americans understand that the SD is so full of lefties that we disregard most everything they say out of hand. If it could be done legally, Bush would probably fire the lot of them. Our brave liberal press will rush to defend “freedom of speech” when government funded artists render such works of art as Piss Christ. But now it’s time to be sensitive, you see, because we certainly wouldn’t want to offend Islam. Hypocrites and cowards. The cartoons in question characterize a group of people a certain way. Their response? To go out and act that way. Don’t let our State Department or our press fool you into thinking they represent what the American people think or feel about any topic. We share the same country but they inhabit a different planet.
Compare Kurtis Cooper’s remark with the statement by Philippe Douste-Blazy, France’s foreign minister who said,
I don’t see any French flags being burned, although maybe the Hebron flagsofallourenemies shop just sold out of the Tricolour.
I don’t read Arabic, so I’ve no way to check the veracity of this story out in the local media, but it appears an Arab has been arrested for both publishing (at least one of) the cartoons in question and writing an editorial urging muslims to be reasonable. Read about it here.
If this story is true, this is a brave man indeed.
Re: US State Department
It should also be recalled that this was NOT a statement issued by State, but rather an ad hoc answer during a press conference. As far as I know the US government has not taken an official stance on the matter.
While I think that it is a mistake for us to not take a position in support of the Danes, my guess is that if we actaully do issue and offical statement our stance would be that the US fully support the government of Denmark — whose position it might be recalled is somethink akin to “we think the cartoons are unfortunate but we have freedom of the press and there is nothing we can do.” Clearly our State Department can’t deal with the matter of Jyllands-Posten any more than we could take a stand in support or opposition to The Times, only with repect to the Danish government.
To respond to some other comments, I too agree that the State Department is next to useless and i agree it there were some legal practical way to do it GWB would put the lot of them on the street — the permanent pinheads at State have been no friend to this administration, I suspect most of them are leftists and the ones who are not are Arabists (like the British Foreign Office perhaps 🙂 There are large numbers of people at State that think its OK for them to have their own foreign policy
“He said that it was offensive…”
Perry, and all of the commenters: you have taken upon yourselves an impossible task: to figure out what a SD spokesman actually said. I tried to read the transcript. It’s impossible to make anything of it. “Freedom of press – good, insulting others – bad … yada yada yada…”
Aren’t SD people given a course on how to speak a lot without saying anything in particular ? They are professionals at it.
Only – not saying anything in particular is itself a statement of position. It is their usual position: when witnessing a murder they decry the use of violence by all parties concerned.
If everybody keeps manufacturing tempests at the current rate, we’re gonna run out of teacups pretty soon.
Now that is funny! I was under the impression that obfuscation and infinitely interpretable speech was a prerequisite for that sort of job.
As the State Department labors to strike just the right degree of limpness, here is a refreshing break:
STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY
The United States condemns in the strongest terms the burning of the Danish and Norwegian Embassies in Damascus, Syria today, which also damaged the Chilean and Swedish Embassies. The Government of Syria’s failure to provide protection to diplomatic premises, in the face of warnings that violence was planned, is inexcusable.
The State Department has told the Syrian Ambassador that Syria must act decisively to protect all foreign embassies and citizens in Damascus from attack. We will hold Syria responsible for such violent demonstrations since they do not take place in that country without government knowledge and support.
We urge all governments to take measures now to lower tensions and prevent violence, including against any diplomatic premises and against businesses and individuals. We stand with our friends and allies in urging a constructive and peaceful dialogue emphasizing respect for all religious faiths.
We commend Danish Prime Minster Rasmussen’s responsible statements in recent days urging tolerance and respect for all faiths and for freedom of the press. We stand in solidarity with Denmark and our European allies in opposition to the outrageous acts in Syria today.
That look’s like a much more equivocal statement, to me, than the ad hoc one from the State Department.
The only side it commits to is that burning down embassies is a bad thing and we hold Syria’s government ‘responsible’.
No commitment at all with regard to the underlying situtation.
USA media(no surprise there) and Condolezza have been a disapointment in this issue. UK also. Pro US Danes have been mocked by leftists with reason: With allies like that… And Denmark has soldiers in Iraq.
More than anything this shows the advances that PC have made in anglosphere.
Muslims should have been proud of cartons. It was a tentative to integrate muslims in Europe. They failed the test.
Well, yes, but they can’t very well commit to saying that they approve of publishing the cartoons in question. Neither has Denmark’s government said anything of the kind. I further think it’s safe to say that, had it been an American paper, Mr. Bush would be saying more or less what PM Rasmussen said: deplore religious intolerance, wouldn’t personally have done it, blah blah, stutter, blah, but I have no authority over the free press, and it is therefore not my responsibility to apologize for their choices.
I, too, wish this had been stronger, but I wholeheartedly approve of openly laying blame at the Syrian government’s feet for allowing the riot to happen. Because after all, they did allow it to happen.
I don’t think we can hope for anything better than this from our government (or pretty much any western government) at this point. What I would like to see is one of our namby-pamby daily newspapers to actually publish the things already and take a stand for free press rights. They get their knickers all in a twist at the merest suggestion that a Christian fundamentalist might have maybe hinted at disapproving of something that they published – time now to show that free press rights are just as important to them when it’s muslims doing the complaining.
What struck me was the unequivocating support for free speech and press in the state department and the decided absence of any such thing by the white house. Not what I’m used to or expect.
The only obligatory mention was balancing ‘freedom of the press’ with ‘tolerance and respect for all faiths’
I’m not convinced it’s an over sight by the White House. And since when do we have to balance our right to print something against ‘respect for all religions’? Or respect(Link) for anything else except the constitution?
I agree with you. It does matter that they withdrew the statement and tried to back away from it the next day. They had no business saying anything but support of the freedom of the press. Unless, of course, they don’t believe we should have any!
I have never seen Christians or Jewish peoples behave this way, and believe me-there are many cases I could point to where protesting would be appropriate. No. We write letters, make phone calls, etc. In other words, we act civilized.
I would like to point out that there are only a few thousand in each place behaving this way, while there are millions of people who are not. I believe this was planned to keep our eyes off the ball of Irans agreement with Syria to produce their nuclear weapons.
BTW, if someone would please let me know where I could purchase some Danish food products (except cheese :), I would be very grateful. I want to support Denmark. Thank you.
Pardon me. It does NOT matter…
Also, I do not believe they have a choice as to what is printed in the press (gov’t animals), so I think they just don’t want to step in anything.
It sure does not give the moderates much hope to stand up and say, “Stop it! You are acting like infidel!”
One more item, when George W. Bush talks diplomatically, people usually misunderestimate him. I would not suggest this, because it could be hazardous to your government. 🙂
I cannot say whether Condi approves of the utterly shameful and foolhardy comments by State about the Danish cartoons. Left to its own devices, State will always get it wrong. It requires a profound overhaul which it will not get since its real work is promoting and doing business for American conomic interests. When it comes to Foreign Policy it pursues policies which its Mandarins think the British Empire would have pursued. Since it died effectively in 1912 and really began dying on August 4, 1914, these people are working in the deepest darkness.Condi and the Presidents are cowards if they let this stand.
Jono39,
That’s what I thought at first, also. THen I saw the actual ad-hoc statement transcript. It turns out it was unequivocally pro free press (much to my surprise).
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2006/60394.htm(Link)
It’s about 1/2 to 3/5 of the way down the conference transcript.
In this case it’s the White House statement is outside the pale. I didn’t know about the attempted retraction that Rosemary’s refering to. Rosemary, do you have a link for it that we could go to?