“Publish and be damned”

From an EU Observer commentary:

«Amid all the furore prompted by the publication of the now infamous caricatures in a Danish newspaper one sound has been singularly lacking: it is the sound of European leaders extolling the virtues of free speech.

Instead we have had a whole series of admirably balanced statements such as that from Franco Frattini, the European Commissioner responsible for Justice, Freedom and Security.

[ ... ]

Thus while embassies have burned, European leaders have largely been silent about the role the press plays daily in ensuring that our freedoms are maintained and enhanced.

Instead we have heard the sound of appeasement, of regretful hand wringing, almost as if the phenomenon of a free press, untrammelled by government dictat or religious scruple, was a species of European idiosyncrasy.»

Idiosyncrasies. AKA The Brussels Wank when one is helpless in trying to deal with a primitive world view that's immune to their principles. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the usual lot that never seem to get it still don’t get it.