15 February 2006 >> The Iranian government is upset over a new cartoon published in the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel.

Shown in the cartoon are four soccer players with “Iran” on their uniforms standing field-level in a stadium. The soccer players also have explosives wrapped around their midsections. According to a statement from the Iranian embassy in Berlin, the cartoon has incited “outrage among the Iranian people.” (Uh oh! That doesn’t sound good!) And Manuchehr Sandi, a leader from the Iranian Press Association, called on Germany to give an “appropriate reaction” to the cartoon. (If you’re in the Iranian press, I guess it’s natural to assume that all governments are responsible for the content of their nation’s media.)

While we wait to see how many people are killed and buildings torched as a result of this cartoon, here’s some unsolicited advice for the Iranian government:

If you spent as much time denouncing suicide bombing as you spend denouncing cartoons, perhaps there’d be fewer cartoons mocking you as terrorists.

Just a thought.

15 February 2006 @ 4:09PM >> In response to “Sharia Law Comes West,” reader D. L. Cameron e-mails:

I agree with your entire article until the end when you said, “Our media has just proven that fear will cause them to cover up anything that might ‘offend’ the mobs of Islamic arsonists.”

The media revels in covering and endlessly reporting on anything and everything that will offend mobs of Islamic arsonists and murders - as long as the resulting riots and murders are aimed at the American Government, our military, private citizens, children, women, etc...it’s when the Islamic rage is directed at THEM - that’s when they run like scared rabbits.

Good point!