ITooAmSpartacus

I find the protest and the deaths related to this cartoon sad but the fact that the media is clamming up and self-censoring has prompted me into action (they've actually blurred the image out!). After Theo van Gogh died I was angry but I didn't know what I could do so, like most people, I didn't do anything. After the TV channels started openly admitting that they wouldn't show the cartoon, I and some friends decided to post it up around the area, but we changed our minds fearing that the message would be misinterpreted for one of hatred. Onkar Ghate (a senior fellow at the Ayn Rand Institute) and Christian Beenfeldt wrote an article called The Cartoon Jihad: Free Speech in the Balance http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=4567 In the article he said "The issue at stake is the right to speak one's mind. Recognizing this, many European newspapers reprinted the cartoons. Echoing the story of the defiant slaves, who, when the Romans came for Spartacus, the leader of their rebellion, each proclaimed "I am Spartacus"--this was a clear show of support for the Danish paper and a symbolic affirmation of the right to free speech. In the United States, however, fear of Muslim anger has suppressed a similar show of support." That is why my friends (and now hopefully more people) have taken those words and turned them into a battle cry "I Too Am Spartacus" to show our support for those who are not willing to be silent. We do fear retaliation and creating more violence, but to give into that fear is to willingly give over our minds. I hope this doesn't get deleted because this isn't spam, I've been on this board before (under a different name of course) and I appreciate the rational minds and the desire for intellectual communication that most of you express here. If the intellectuals refuse to stand up, nobody will. I'm not willing to watch allies in the fight against irrationality perish anymore. I hesitate to put my blog address up because I think that's why my other posts were deleted, but the link is in my profile.

I too am Spartacus. I refuse to sit by in fear and silence while people die defending the rights that I too hold dear. I refuse to censor myself. I refuse to sacrifice my life to anyone. My life is my own, my mind is my own, my voice is mine. The silence of those who oppose this irrationality is allowing it to win by default. We lose because we refused to fight. This is me fighting, this is me standing up and speaking out: I too am Spartacus. The cartoon of Mohammed drawn by Kurt Westergaard will not be shown on television--not only that, it has been blurred out like a dirty word. Why? Because of the hatred and violence the image has provoked. I wanted to post the image up to show the world what it was that caused this firestorm. But I cannot because of it's inflamatory nature, the rules of just about every public forum prevent it. The image can be seen here: http://www.uriasposten.net/pics/JP-011005-...ed-Westerga.jpg This forfeiture of our right to freedom (under the name of non-offensiveness) is a victory for those who demand we give up our lives and our rights. The ONLY way they can win is if WE LET THEM. We are forfeiting our right to live by refusing to fight for it. Please join me in recognizing that the self-censorship that has been the response to the irrational hatred and violence is a victory for irrationality and violence. I request that you simply post the slogan "I Too Am Spartacus" without the image. This signals that we are not alone and that we will not be silent, even if the media is. I request that you do not violate any laws nor infringe on the rights of anyone while posting. When you post the slogan you may if you choose post a link to this Myspace account www.myspace.com/itooamspartacus. I want it known that my intention is not to send a message of hatred nor to incite violence, my intention is to incite action in the form of an open dialogue.