Oh yeah. She went there.
UPenn professor, coward, and terrorist apologist Anthea Butler penned an opinion column this morning in which she doubled down on her call to jail the filmmaker whom she deems “indirectly and inadvertently” responsible for the riots in Egypt and Libya that left four people dead. But she wants you all to know that no one values free speech more than her!
So why did I tweet that Bacile should be in jail? The “free speech” in Bacile’s film is not about expressing a personal opinion about Islam. It denigrates the religion by depicting the faith’s founder in several ludicrous and historically inaccurate scenes to incite and inflame viewers.
Ah. So the purpose of the film was to inflame anti-American sentiment in the Islamist world and incite riots. Radical crazies’ inability to control their violent tempers is a filmmaker’s fault, according to Butler, and that filmmaker should therefore be imprisoned and silenced.
Bacile’s movie does not excuse the rioting in Libya and Egypt, or the murder of Americans. That is deplorable. Unfortunately, people like Bacile and Terry Jones, the Florida pastor who provoked international controversy by burning copies of the Quran, have a tremendous impact on religious tolerance and U.S. foreign policy.
“A tremendous impact”? Seriously? Who is this woman?
Case in point: Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called Jones on Wednesday to ask him to stop promoting Bacile’s film. Clearly, the military considers the film a serious threat to national security. If the military takes it seriously, there should be consequences for putting American lives at risk.
To Butler, appeasers like Dempsey should definitely be the arbiter of what does and does not constitute acceptable speech. And when in doubt, get the military involved. In what universe? Is this real life?
Recommended
Needless to say, Twitterers were mystified by the intellectual’s stunning dearth of intellect:
@lachlan We need greater understanding to understand people with whom we already agree. And prevent our opponents from spewing hate.
— J.P. Freire (@JPFreire) September 13, 2012
https://twitter.com/lachlan/status/246274074257526784
This professor doesn't just hedge on free speech, she argues that the military—yes, the military—should be the arbiter: http://t.co/ZQ3tAJDf
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) September 13, 2012
Penn's founder Ben Franklin is rolling in his grave: http://t.co/W0qFRIPg h/t @charlescwcooke
— Dean Clark (@earldean71) September 13, 2012
"If there is anyone who values free speech, it is a tenured professor!" Now, throw the man who made that movie in jail! http://t.co/unupzbvg
— Radley Balko (@radleybalko) September 13, 2012
https://twitter.com/NoahGlyn/status/246274759879434242
This is not an opposing view. This is a professor in the US who does not believe in the first amendment. The end http://t.co/YticTs4w
— Kirk Your Enthusiasm (@KirkSeriousFace) September 13, 2012
I think @AntheaButler is a cultural relativist moron, but I wouldn't arrest her for it. Scary that she's a teacher. http://t.co/M9kGfHtX
— Ben Cohen (@BenCohenOpinion) September 13, 2012
@JeffreyGoldberg Anthea Butler: "other countries and cultures do not have to understand or respect our right" – I disagree
— Dan Israel (@DanIsraelMusic) September 13, 2012
There is so much wrong with this it's hard to know where to begin. Dear world: Our opinions don't allow you to kill us. http://t.co/aMrrZGbm
— Andy Bartlett (@abart01) September 13, 2012
You're just trying to set the world record for most #facepalm's in a day, right @AntheaButler? The joke's on us, right? http://t.co/IhATCZHK
— Nico Perrino (@NicoPerrino) September 13, 2012
https://twitter.com/imhartshorn/status/246275497514921984
Not sure how well this piece reflects on academia, the humanities, and the Ivy League. http://t.co/yhcNTMlh
— Jason Parkhill (@JasonParkhill) September 13, 2012
Not well.
Question of the day…Is radical professor Anthea Butler…Slow, Simple or Stupid?
— Referendum SB277 (@ReferendumSB277) September 13, 2012
We vote for sickening.
***
Update:
The plot thickens: Filmmaker ‘Sam Bacile,’ blamed for embassy attacks, does not exist
Join the conversation as a VIP Member