PAMELA GELLER TESTED THE FIRST AMENDMENT AND AMERICA FAILED

“Pamela Geller’s War On Radical Islam And Everybody Else”, By Jack Engelhard, Israel National News, May 5, 2015

Pamela Geller tested the First Amendment and America failed.

Have you hugged a Jihadist today? Everybody else has. Have you trashed Pamela Geller this morning? Welcome to the club.

Pamela Geller made a mistake. She tested the First Amendment and the First Amendment lost.

This fighter for Israel, this battler against Radical Islam can seem to find no friends after what she did. She tried to prove that America is not France, where 11 were murdered by Islamists for printing Mohammad cartoons, nor are we the Netherlands, where Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s partner, Director Theo van Gogh was murdered for his documentary Submission, which exposed Islamist mistreatment of women. This cannot happen in America, assumed Miss Geller, here in the land of the free, home of the brave, and she was wrong.  It can happen here, and it did…in part.

WINNING POSTER

Together with Robert Spencer, Geller organized a Mohammad Cartoon Contest in Garland, Texas; obviously as a means to illustrate that America will not be intimidated. Two apparent Jihadists (with possible links to ISIS) tried to storm the event, but were killed by local police. After that came the denunciations. No, not against the Islamic fanatics. But against Geller.  From all across the Liberal dials, plus The New York Times, came blasts of outrage against Geller for being “provocative” and “asking for trouble.”  But Conservatives? They too piled on. Donald Trump, Bill O’Reilly, Bill Donohue of the Catholic League, Don Imus – all those and others want her scalp.  Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum was especially harsh during this morning’s interview with Geller.  Better, they allege, if Geller would hush up and forget the First Amendment. Safer, they suggest, if we submit and become a nation of wimps.

There was a time, among journalists especially, when Americans were unafraid and quick to speak their minds.  Imus, legendary as a shock jock and as a man who fearlessly speaks his mind, was astonishingly disapproving of Geller, and fearful.  “When you inflame people,” he said, “what else can you expect?”  Well, Don, you can expect a touch of support for a woman who champions free speech.  Besides, how can you inflame people, these Jihadists, who are always on fire anyway?

SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME

Robert Spencer writes bestsellers and runs the Jihad Watch website to reveal outrages committed in the name of Islam. Ditto Geller who refuses to be stopped in support of Israel and in exposing the encroachment of Islamic Extremism. They are brave. Are they the last of the brave?  Read this.  There was a time, among journalists especially, when Americans were unafraid and quick to speak their minds. We saw this from last week’s PBS program about Vietnam, which featured reporters going after LBJ and Nixon with a vengeance. Compare that to today’s reporters who remain putty in the hands of Obama.  Seems that we have trained ourselves to be compliant, passive, easily cowed and entirely too close to being cowards.  If freedom of speech is not worth fighting for – what will we give up next?

Jack Engelhard writes a regular column for Arutz Sheva. The new thriller from the New York-based novelist, The Bathsheba Deadline, a heroic editor’s singlehanded war on terror and against media bias. Engelhard wrote the int’l bestseller Indecent Proposal that was translated into more than 22 languages and turned into a Paramount motion picture starring Robert Redford and Demi Moore. Website: www.jackengelhard.com

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