Marc Charisse, editor of the Evening Sun of Hanover, Pennsylvania, recently announced his intention to drop Diana West's column from the newspaper because, as he put it, West "never met a Muslim she didn't hate."
This ready conflation of the defense of Western civilization and its rights and freedoms against Sharia supremacism with "hatred" is, of course, something we see at Jihad Watch every day. Here is Diana West's blazingly brilliant response:
To the Editor:I am responding to Editor Marc Charisse’s column about my work, a column I found striking for its mud-slinging crudity. In Charisse’s words, my work, the product of careful research and reporting, may be summed up thus: West “never met a Muslim she didn’t hate.” There is no more apt word than “grotesque” to describe such an irresponsible and flippant mischaracterization of my weekly column, which very often grapples with the terrible, largely unspoken reality that Western liberties—freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, freedom of expression, equality before the law, including women’s rights and the rights of non-Muslims—are increasingly threatened by a growing deference to the laws of Islam. To underscore my point, I don’t write about “Muslims.” I write about Islam, the supremacist ideology constructed on laws (sharia) that justify censorship, repression, violence, inequality, and even maiming and murder of those whom the sharia leaves voiceless and powerless: dissenters, Muslim apostates, non-Muslims and women. I write about its agents—violent jihadists as well as soft jihadists, all of whom are working to extend the rule of this law across the non-Muslim world. And I write about politically correct non-Muslims who, as a public point of what is hailed as tolerance and inclusiveness have surrendered their common sense, their courage and, increasingly, their countries to the advance of this Islamic law.
“Pull the plug” on me if you like. But do not slander me or my work as a manifestation of hatred toward individuals. If anything, it is a manifestation of fear—fear that our liberties are not just under assault but have already been diminished, and are destined for still more restriction in that “sharp new subtext” Charisse says the recent presidential election has added “to the subject of Muslims.” Whatever that means.
I’ll take Charisse’s assessment of my work as “confrontational” as a compliment, even if he didn’t mean it that way. After all, what columnist worth his space, from Paul Krugman to Pat Buchanan, isn’t confrontational? But as for branding my ideas as “inappropriate” and “out of place”—well, isn’t that less the language of an American newsroom than an old Soviet politbureau?
Diana West
You may wish to respond to Charisse's column here.
This is spot on. I find that it is rarely to never useful to talk about "Muslims" - rather one should constrain comments to "Islam." References to specific Muslims, speaking for or about or acting on behalf of Islam is appropriate, but the term "Muslims" is almost always going to get you bogged down.
Ditto with talking about the Koran. This just opens the door to "well the Bible is full of hate and violence" moral equivalence. Then you spend the rest of the time off topic trying to defend the Bible. Rather, talk about the hadith "I have been made successful through terror", Banu Qurayza etc and Mohammed's sadistic, merciless, murderous acts. It's hard for them to "equivalate" those to Jesus or any other holy person.
Way to go Marc, shout those inconvenient truths that you don't like down! DUHmmitude is in his clueless future...
Lan astalem,
GoingThere
Read him and then read her. He is WAY out of his league.
Diane West sounds like the voice of reason, honor and dignity. Mr. Charisse sounds like a kid whining in the backseat during a long car trip.
i wounder what rich muslim owns most of this news paper ?
The "sharp new subtext" of whch the writer calling for self-censorship by the newspaper would be something called factual reality.
2:216 * 4:74 * 9:111 * 8:12 * 4:96 * 56:22 * 38:51 * 55:56 * 55:76 * 56:22 * 8:74 * 5:50
Moslems are a distinct breed in that they hold as a civil right the option to fly off into a paroxysm of indignation and rage whenever an Infidel serves up facts that Moslems themselves acknowledge. Moslem sympathizers, too.
If the mirror hurts, smash it.
To paraphrase the squalid Oprah, you go Diana.
No one should confuse or conflate or link in any way Marc Charisse to Cyd Charisse, the long-stemmed American beauty from Amarillo, nee Tulua Ellice Finklea, whose contribution to American culture is quite different from that of the censorious and, alas, self-assuredly ignorant, Marc, he of the same last name, but not of the same ilk.
Here's his contribution:
http://www.eveningsun.com/ci_11005076
And here's hers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuJxYmJlEHY
You know which one I prefer. And I know which one you prefer. And as Fats Waller said to Jack Teagarden, and then Jack Teagarden said to Fats Waller: That's what I like about you.
'I like to see the Evening Sun go down'...
The Suns loss will be another's gain.
This may be annoying to Mz West, but it is not fatal...
33:21, that's a seriously cool nick :)
Diana West's response in this article was outstandingly courageous, intelligent, and professional; her statements practically glow with truth, honesty, and sound reasoning, especially in comparison to the disgusting, ridiculous rantings of Mr. Charisse. Now, she's the kind of women we needed running for President in the last election.
But one of the thing about this article that caught my attention was the impropriety of the positions of these two people; Charisse, the totally unreasonable one, is in a position of power that allows him to terminate Ms. West, the totally reasonable one. A major problem in our siciety is that it isn't the other way around; all too often, we undermine the good and empower the evil.
Diana West's response in this article was outstandingly courageous, intelligent, and professional; her statements practically glow with truth, honesty, and sound reasoning, especially in comparison to the disgusting, ridiculous rantings of Mr. Charisse. Now, she's the kind of women we needed running for President in the last election.
But one of the thing about this article that caught my attention was the impropriety of the positions of these two people; Charisse, the totally unreasonable one, is in a position of power that allows him to terminate Ms. West, the totally reasonable one. A major problem in our siciety is that it isn't the other way around; all too often, we undermine the good and empower the evil.
Posted the following at the paper:
In 2006, I resigned from the East Valley Tribune (Mesa, Arizona) in protest over my putative superiors' refusal to print any of the Danish Muhammad cartoons with an op-ed piece I had written about them. I argued that their centrality to what was then a page-one story, and the need to push back against zealots' demands for censorship, made their publication imperative. I was overruled, and I predicted that American newspaper editors' pusillanimity had set a dreadful precedent, one certain to haunt us all in the years ahead. I am sorry to see this borne out yet again by your malign policy. Your readers and your profession surely deserve better.
Sharp new subtext ...
... to wit, the lights are going out in the United States of America.
Diana West's response in this article was outstandingly courageous, intelligent, and professional; her statements practically glow with truth, honesty, and sound reasoning, especially in comparison to the disgusting, ridiculous rantings of Mr. Charisse. Now, she's the kind of women we needed running for President in the last election.
But one thing about this article that caught my attention was the impropriety of the positions of these two people; Charisse, the totally unreasonable one, is in a position of power that allows him to terminate Ms. West, the totally reasonable one. A major problem in our siciety is that it isn't the other way around; all too often, we undermine the good and empower the evil. This article seems to support the saying, "No good deed goes unpunished."
Tyranny in religious disguise--Islam as an individual creed and pattern of life is not the issue, the issue is whether Muslim identity obscures salient issues from being discussed because they touch on that identity. Blanket censorship and erosion of personal liberties are the result. No creed or ideology, or subset of such, should be exempt from critical examination and debate. If such doesn't arise from within a particular body of that belief's adherents (perhaps because of ostracism, intimidation, or physical threat), then critical examination and debate should come from without. Such is the guarantee of real liberty.
33:21, that's a seriously cool nick :)
Why, thank you Henrik.
My old handle was Alarmed Pig Farmer, but that one died in a sordid episode.
610 * 623 * 632 * 1066 * 1215 * 1453 * 1492 * 1683 * 1928 * 1938 * 1948 * 1996 * 2001
Diana West is a godess. Beautiful. Smart. But most of all: just plain right.
She should become right hand woman to Sarah Palin. That would take the ugly out of the White House.
From Charisse's rant:
"I am, however, getting ready to pull the plug on Diana West, whose column often appears on Saturdays in The Evening Sun."
Charisse's words, tone and attitude are a bit like Charles Johnson's.
Hugh, methinks you are reading waaaaaay too much into Diana West's column, but the video is definitely cool.
Diana West is right to focus on a question dominating the scene today, both here and abroad -- Islamism, the political and cultural advance of Islamic supremacism and shari'ah law -- of tyranny in religious disguise.
Islam as an individual creed and pattern of life is not the issue, the issue is whether Muslim identity may obscure, may block, salient questions from being discussed because they touch on that Muslim identity. Blanket censorship and erosion of personal liberties result when vital discussion is thus shut down.
No creed or ideology, or subset of such, should be exempt from critical examination or debate. If such doesn't arise from within a particular body of that belief's adherents (perhaps because of ostracism, intimidation, or physical threat), then critical examination and debate should come from without. Such is the guarantee of real liberty.
Censoring a critic of intolerance?
The Suicide of the West (sic) continues.
Alarmed Pig Farmer, AKA 33;21
Is that Ezekiel or Pslams?
Or?
My comment to Marc Cherisse:-
Oh Mr Charisse! God help you and God help any descendants of yours who happen to be female. You Sir, do not know what you are doing. You are more to be pitied than despised!
As of a few minutes ago, there were about 112 comments, almost all of them in support of West.
Charisse is probably dazed and confused, trying to dig his way out of the avalanche of criticism that has landed on him.
"there were about 112 comments" in the Evening Sun comments to Charisse's column
Papa whiskey
go to
http://youtube.com/profile_videos?user=EzraILevant&p=r
Excerpt:
“On January 11, 2008, I was summoned to a 90-minute government interrogation. My crime? As the publisher of Western Standard magazine, I had reprinted the Danish cartoons of Mohammed to illustrate a news story. I was charged with the offence of “discrimination,” and made to appear before Alberta’s “human rights commission” for questioning. As crazy as it sounds, I became the only person in the world to face legal sanction for printing those cartoons.”
A reader commented on Islamic money possibly influencing the editor of the Evening Sun. There's no doubt it influences Jimmy Carter's war on the Jews. He's received tens of millions of dollars for his presidential library from Saudia Arabia, including large donations from Osama bin Laden's brothers.
http://www.terrorismawareness.org/jimmy-carters-war/
Diana West and all those like her can be likened to the canary in the mine, those who chose to ignore her words at their own peril will certainly lose out. Also when you hear and read about how so many newspapers are failing like the so called great NYTimes, they are becoming nothing more than rags and irevelant, and l will cheer their demise. We need real journilism and newspapers that give us news, and not the drive bys that want to make news.
I attribute the editor's action to politics - presidential politics. Despite Obama's protestations that he has nothing to do with Islam, this editor must have been fearful that West's focus on Islam would reflect badly on Obama. Yet another reason to have little faith in the MSM.
The area north of Hanover is very rural. It's a beautiful place to go. Hanover itself is just north of the Maryland state line, so it's probably very Democratic. It's couldn't be a question of offending Muslims since Hanover is ninety-nine percent white, by its own census.
Yet again with Politically Correct mores: 'My mind is made up do not bother me with the facts!' To speak out, to inform, to englighten, educate even is now seen as a hate crime. The script is written in education, politics and the media and all good citizens are coerced to obey it... or else!
I do not know about Stealth Jihad in the West the Stealth Collective Soviet style Groupthink is even more deadly as it removes the will to resist or even notice real dangers for the fantasy ones rooted in an imposed ideology (by stealth).
I now find that the links given to the Hanover Sun don't work -- I see; those fellows must've pulled the plug altogether.
The link that West provides in her column doesn't work, either.
Ah, but the link above to Charisse's column works just fine and we're up to almost 200 comments. Come on over and join in the fun!
http://www.eveningsun.com/ci_11005076
Isa,
Yes, but the discussion is veering off-topic, and seems to be degenerating into mere Islam-bashing and an intra-mural squabble. That won't win any points with either the editor or the reader.
Come on, fellas, leap forward into the gap!
profitsbeard ; re APF 33:21, those references are dates.
When all is said and done, there are in the world all too many who would limit the number and nature of speakers and expression. Diana West is not among those many.