US church to go ahead with 9/11 Qu'ran burning.

As repellent as this is, you quash this, you open the door to quashing all kinds of other controversial forms of expression.

What an idiot.

He is doing it to be a hateful, inciting dipshit, but it is within his right to burn it. As much as I hate his reasons for doing it, to let someone else dissuade via threat of violence is all the more reason to let him do it. If he's not dirctly harming or intimidating anyone, then let him have his hateful little fire. Just like the people across the road have the right to stand there and admonish him for doing it. But not doing free speech for fear of violence? That's when we're truly fucked.

I'd like to take part in a counter protest where we burn bibles across the street from his protest.

Two wrongs make a right?

Let me know if you do. I'll bring the gasoline & beer.

The PC police are too busy with the shit storm they're building around Jennifer Aniston using the word "retard".

I just don't get how this guy can justify putting the lives of troops in jeopardy by pulling such an idotic stunt. The level of anti-Muslim rhetoric going around right now is at a dangerously high level, and what's worse is how cavalier people are being with it. It's not like how it was right after 9/11, where I'd see news stories about people spray-painting epithets on a Muslim person's garage and running away like cowards. Nobody's even bothering to hide now. This is out-and-proud hatred, and it genuinely scares me.

To burn Qu'ran's, you have to buy them. Muslims makin' money off this little venture. Money AND sympathy. Double prizes.

Burning them is so wasteful, though. We really should lead by good example. I propose a Recycle-A-Bible Day.

After watching Hunger recently I think the best thing to do with their pages is you them for rollie papers.

I was expressing impotent rage. Stop making it worse.

There's really nothing that can be done. He does have the right to burn them. I don't want to take that away. But he's so dumb, and the worst sort of pro-Christian bigot I can imagine. If we could somehow make him see how anti-American this protest is he'd probably kill himself in shame. But there's no way he'll ever see it.

Can't they check them out of the local library?

*EDIT* Come to think of it, some parent from his congregation probably already got them on the banned book list.

Well, you'd see 2 shitty books used by more intelligent people to make the stupid ones follow, so it's a win-win in some sort of way.

In Berlin they have a plaque and a memorial in the spot where the Nazi book burnings were held. The 'monument' (seems like the wrong word, but whatever) isn't a statue or anything big but a room below ground you can look into. Inside is bookcase after bookcase with empty shelves. There's a plaque by the window with a quote from one of the authors whose works got torched. It reads "Where people burn books, they soon burn people." Guy wasn't even talking about the Nazis, he wrote that over a hundred years earlier in regards to witch hunts and burning people at the stake. Yet it was still applicable then and it's still applicable now. I know how trite and cliche it is to draw Nazi parallels, but the image of a pile of burning books is such a ugly, potent image I can't help it. When you burn a book, you're not just destroying the physical object but you're symbolically showing that you want to eradicate the very roots of an idea, to wipe out an entire way of thinking. It just boggles my mind that someone could be that full of hate (and have so little awareness of the world around them).

"It was a pleasure to burn." - Ray Bradbury, who might have something to say about this

It's called Neoconservatism in the US. Or the Tea Party. Or crazy assholes everywhere else.

I highly doubt these loonies have put anywhere near that much thought into this.

I did this several times in high school, much to the chagrin of the Southern Baptist Church. But fuck them, I was out of Zig-Zags.

"It is the duty of Muslims to react," said Mohammad Mukhtar, a cleric and candidate for the Afghan parliament in the Sept. 18 election. "When their holy book Quran gets burned in public, then there is nothing left. If this happens, I think the first and most important reaction will be that wherever Americans are seen, they will be killed. No matter where they will be in the world they will be killed."

Yeah, this shit is scary. I agree with the shouting fire analogy, but don't really see it being clear cut enough for anyone to officially stop them. I really wish someone there would take it upon themselves to kill the fuck out of this guy and keep this from happening though.

It's the media that is going to make it worse. There are only 50 "Follower" in his church. If you don't cover the burning by showing it to the world then 51 idiots waste a Saturday.

I agree with this for the most part. What the media SHOULD be focusing on are all the counter-protests and activities planned for the same day. THAT'S the image that should be prevalent - not this dude's bullshit.

But that's never gonna happen because bullshit = ratings. Sigh, hell I kinda hate America too.

Oddly enough, I don't give a shit about it. If this was the government doing it, that would be one thing, but if one batshit looney religion wants to shit on another batshit looney religion, hell, let them take each other out for our sakes.

Unsuprisingly, the retards on the other side, in Indonesia and such are already very very angry.

This is so fucked up. I know inserting ration into this is dangerous, but supposing that one of the reasons this guy is doing this is because he believes that Muslims are dangerous heathen American-killers, wouldn’t burning their text be akin to sticking a twig in the hornet’s nest?

Self-preservation is the reason he’ll likely not do this thing, but the amount of hemming and hawing on his end over it is disturbing enough. What an asshole.

Here's the thing though, fuck this guy for feeling the need to be such a fucking douchebag by burning someone elses sacred text, but also, fuck anyone who is so offended by a burning book that they feel the need to attack and kill people as retaliation.

Briefly entertained the idea of going to FreeRepublic this morning to see what that raving pack of shitbag lunatics had to say about it, but then I realized that I'd rather not gouge out my eyeballs before lunchtime.

Took the words out of my mouth.

What fascinates/terrifies me is that Pastor Brown will be armed at this book burning.

He wants a war. He says he is sending a message. What message? I absolutely agree that he has the right to do this, he lives in a country that celebrates free speech, but what is the message? That books are flammable?

I'm being facetious but I can't see what he thinks will be accomplished. It's just a demonstation of hate and anger, nothing more.

He's been told that he is seriously endangering the lives of the soldiers over seas. He doesn't care.

I champion free speech, I really do. I won't say someone needs to step in and stop this, I'd be a filthy hypocrite, I just hope he comes to his senses.

I think the important thing to come out of all this is the reaction to it, among Americans, Muslims worldwide, and terrorists who hide behind the Quran as if it's some justification for their barbarism. As much as I deplore this act, he has the right to it, and I'll defend that right. What I'm waiting to see is if America responds with the disgust that it should, will it simply roll its eyes at the continued denegration of the Muslim faith, or will it further reveal itself as completely intolerant of anything non-Christian?

Will Muslims stand up and demand respect (and will non-Muslims stand beside them) or has anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, anti-anything-not-Amur'can sentiment left them too fearful to speak out? And will people finally realize that terrorists, who will undoubtedly (and seemingly already have) take advantage of this incident to incite more fear and anger and bolster their ranks, aren't true followers of Islam but cowards and opportunists masquerading as holy warriors?

The main problem is the Media Machine, who feeds on retards like that pastor. It's healthy for it to consume this lunacy.

Here's the important question: Where are these 51 people getting all their Qu'ran's? I highly doubt they all have one. So, are they going to go to the store and spend money on them to have something to burn? Or are they just gonna burn, like, one?

And here's another important question: why does anyone (especially this Terry Jones idiot) think that inciting violence on 9/11 is anything other than the exact opposite of what we should have learned in the wake of that tragedy? Do we need any further proof that terrorist accomplished in spades what they set out to do that day?

They want a war? Fine. Give 'em guns and ship their asses to Afghanistan. Put your money where your mouth is.

I wish the local fire department would exercise their right to "free speech" and put the fucker out repeatedly.

Alternatively, anyone have access to a water truck? Gainesville is only about 4 1/2 hours from me. What's to stop me from "peacefully" extinguishing this stupidity?

Alternatively x2:

God? Anyway you could step in and isolate some heavy thunderstorms over the church Saturday? It would send a glorious message. Maybe a lightning strike on the leader if you can.

This is it. A scenario as bonkers warrants this kind of response.

The guy is proclaiming he will be carrying a gun and (his words) "is prepared to die"

His options, as far as I'm concern are to either use his position as a religious figure to converse with a local muslim community and open dialogue or... enlist.

That's it.

I hate the fact that these religious lunatics think that all Americans are represented by one small group. If these guys are going to be vicious murdering bastards they could at least be more accurate in their targets.

Which GOD are you speaking to here?

I like the idea that this is happening. Muslims burn the US flag regularly in foreign countries, a few US citizens are burning something they care about. It's hateful sure, but relatively harmless, much less so than flying a plane into a crowded skyscraper.
Part of freedom of speech in the US is that negative things are going to be said about religion. Ever see what has been written about Mormons or Catholics? Why is Islam such a sacred cow? They need to get over themselves, if your going to get irate a hick from Florida and 14 followers your wound way too tight.

This. I would be nice if the assholes on both sides of this could just kill eachother off without bringing the rest of the world into their fuckery.

I lived in Gainesville for a long time and never heard of this 'church'.

Apparently the Gainesville fire department denied their request for a burn permit. Hopefully they'll just hose the whole congregation down the second a match is lit.



The fact that radical terrorists could use 50 dumbasses in north Florida for recruitment purposes is ridiculous.

Oh sweet irony.

Well in this particular case, the "Christian GOD" would be awesome.

OR... (alternate retort)...

"There can be only one."

Muslims may burn the US flag regularly but do they burn the bible? Never.

The point isn't just freedom of speech. Its that there is a globalized global effort by right wing christian, white supremesist, and right wing Jewish groups, to promote the hatred and killing of muslims. Fact.

The Jewish Defence League is obviously all over this, they've mobolized thousands in anti mosque protest. And this is not all harmless, as A-Cod suggests, there is real threat. The leader of the Jewish Defence League has been caught trying to plant a bomb in a Mosque, in the US!!! And two of their memebers were also arrested for trying to plant a bomb in the first Arab American congressmans house!!! Only JDL is under no threat to be shut down. Hell most Americans have no idea this is happening in their own country. And where is the media out rage?

This is the saddest part about America, and other countries. No media out rage. No public out rage. Yet when Rupert Murdochs companies collude to make ground zero mosque an issue, it works sooo well.

Right wing Jewish groups, FROM ISRAEL, have also made alliances with ex Neo Nazi groups, and fund some of them, under the condition they leave all their focus on Islamophobia, and praise Israel. TRUE STORY. Everything I have said is very easy to be confirmed, except for this, you'll have to see this channel 4 doc, Inside Britains Israel Lobby.

Freedom of speech does not protect hate, or violence, and if a Muslim group in the US, composed of thousands of individuals, was spreading hateful speech about Jews or Christians, and its leader tried to bomb a synagogue or church and its members tried to kill a prominent Jewish American politician. They would be shut down by the very laws of free speech that are protecting groups such as JDL. But a racist, hateful and violent group like JDL still operates unhindered.

Lets just be honest about what is going on, this isn't a small isolated incident, but a part of a hateful, and yes violent campaign, despite what A-cod says. The only reason its isn't being labeled as such is due to racism and the general apathy towards violence and hate againt Muslims.

Oh I hope so. That would be a perfect way to handle this. They can still have their little protest, but they can't start an illegal fire. Charge 'em with arson if they go through with it.

His Noodly Goodness of course.

cool job concern trolling for how other people should feel about things, brah

So what you're saying is that we should behave more like terrorists because they did it first.

No. Wrong.

This man does not deserve to be called "Terry Jones," a perfectly good name reserved for the brilliant Monty Python member. It's bad enough that Michael Palin's surname had to be defiled by Sarah Palin; now I have to read about "Terry Jones" and his crusade against Muslims. Sir, I say thee nay!

I propose that from this moment forth, the pastor formerly referred to as "Terry Jones" shall now be called "Pastor Fuckwaffle."

In the meantime, you can register your protest by buying the complete Flying Circus set at Amazon for a ridiculous $34.99 Gold Box price. This has not been a paid advertisement. Some restrictions may apply. Eat Snacky Smores.