Max Blumenthal: Meet The Right-Wing Extremist Behind Anti-Muslim Film That Sparked Deadly Riots

Dispatch / September 12, 2012

By Max Blumenthal

Steve Klein, right-wing extremist and consultant for Islamophobic cinema

Crossposted from MaxBlumenthal.com

The US Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, and three US diplomats were killed in attacks and rioting provoked by an obscure, low-budget anti-Muslim film called “The Innocence of Muslims.” The producer of the film is a real estate developer supposedly named “Sam Bacile”who claims to be an Israeli Jew. Bacile told the AP the film was made with $5 million raised from “100 Jewish donors.” He said he was motivated to help his native country, Israel, by exposing the evils of Islam.

While Bacile claims to be in hiding, and his identity remains murky, another character who has been publicly listed as a consultant on the film is a known anti-Muslim activist with ties to the extreme Christian right and the militia movement. He is Steve Klein, a Hemet, California based insurance salesman who claims to have led a “hunter-killer team” in Vietnam.

Klein is a right-wing extremist who emerged from the same axis of Islamophobia that produced Anders Behring Breivik and which takes inspiration from the writings of Robert Spencer, Pamela Geller, and Daniel Pipes.

Islamophobic Actors Guild: That fat hick with man boobs on the bottom left is supposed to be one of Mohammed’s disciples

It appears Klein (or someone who shares his name and views) is an enthusiastic commenter on Geller’s website, Atlas Shrugged, where he recently complained about Mitt Romney’s “support for a Muslim state in Israel’s Heartland.” In July 2011, Spencer’s website, Jihad Watch, promoted a rally Klein organized alongside the anti-Muslim Coptic extremist Joseph Nasrallah to demand the firing of LA County Sheriff Lee Baca, whom they painted as a dupe for Hamas.

Klein is also closely affiliated with the Christian right in California, organizing resentment against all the usual targets — Muslims, homosexuals, feminists, and even Mormons. He is a board memberand founder of a group called Courageous Christians United, which promotes anti-Mormon, anti-Catholic and anti-Muslim literature (including the work of Robert Spencer) on its website. In 2002, Klein ran for the California Insurance Commissioner under the American Independent Party, an extremist fringe party linked to the militia movement, garnering a piddling 2 percent of the vote.

Klein has been closely affiliated with the Church at Kaweah, an extreme evangelical church located 70 miles southeast of Fresno that serves as a nexus of neo-Confederate, Christian Reconstructionist, and militia movement elements. The Southern Poverty Law Center produced a report on Kaweah this spring that noted Klein’s long record of activist against Muslims:

Over the past year, Johnson and the church militia have developed a relationship with Steve Klein, a longtime religious-right activist who brags about having led a “hunter killer” team as a Marine in Vietnam. Klein, who calls Islam a “penis-driven religion” and thinks Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca is a Muslim Brotherhood patsy, is allied with Christian activist groups across California. In 2011, as head of the Concerned Citizens for the First Amendment, he worked with the Vista, Calif.-based Christian Anti-Defamation Commission on a campaign to “arm” students with the “truth about Islam and Muhammad” — mainly by leafleting high schools with literature depicting the Prophet Mohammed as a sex-crazed pedophile.
Klein, based in Hemet, Calif., has been active in extremist movements for decades. In 1977, he founded Courageous Christians United, which now conducts “respectful confrontations” outside of abortion clinics, Mormon temples and mosques. Klein also has ties to the Minuteman movement. In 2007, he sued the city of San Clemente for ordering him to stop leafleting cars with pamphlets opposing illegal immigration.

Like many other activists who fashion themselves as “counter-Jihadists,” Klein has organized against the construction of mosques in his area. While leafleting against a planned mosque in Temecula, California, which he claimed would herald the introduction of Shariah law to the quiet suburb, Klein remarked, “It all comes down to the first amendment. I don’t care if you disagree with me. Just don’t cut off my head.”

What used to be a U.S. consulate in Libya…

Klein appears to be allied with the National American Coptic Assembly, a radical Islamophobic group headed by Morris Sadik. Sadik claims to have discovered the film and began promoting it online. Once it went viral, the trailer was translated into Arabic, sparking outrage in the Middle East, and ultimately, to the deadly attacks carried out by Muslim extremists today.

Klein claims credit for inspiring “Sam Bacile” to produce “The Innocence of Muslims,” promising him he would be “the next Theo Van Gogh,” referring to the Dutch columnist and provocateur who was murdered by a Muslim extremist. Of the attacks in Libya, Klein said, “We went into this knowing this was probably going to happen.”

Crossposted from MaxBlumenthal.com

Would you like to know more? Check out Max Blumenthal’s previous posts: Progressive Democratic hero Elizabeth Warren enlists to serve AIPAC’s pro-war agenda . . . Mitt’s Foreign Policy Team Run By Ultra-Neocon Loons & Failures Itching For Nuclear War With Iran . . . Washington Post Scrubs Quote Smearing Iran War Critics, But Ex-Camp Guard Jeffrey Goldberg Runs With It Anyway

66 Comments

Add your own

1. Palmer Eldritch | September 12th, 2012 at 10:50 am
I am Steve Klein’s physician, and I administer him a regimen of frequent testosterone shots, with which he hopes to preserve his vitality against the encroachments of age.
Having read this article, I am conflicted, as a physician, as to whether or not this treatment might be influencing his aggressive behavior.
If you’re reading this, Steve, now that this has come to light, I am cancelling your prescription and forwarding this article and comment to every medical office in the area. I believe this is my moral duty.
2. hanspy | September 12th, 2012 at 10:59 am
Freedom of speech is great.But Steve Klein and his friends can be hold responceble for trowing fuel on a fire.When he likes to insult friendly states only for creating riots,violence and killing he must face courth.And the Islamic states need also to review there intrest in such items.Who send those ppl to the embasy?How many have realy seen the movie?Those ppl have hardly any ways to view the world outside there country.I think one or more imams have used the movie for there own intrest to.
And its such a waist of life to fight for such thing as religion.Those times from the middle ages must never come back.|But i gues some ppl want it back.There all such a**h****s
3. Dimitri Ratz | September 12th, 2012 at 11:22 am
Reminds me of American trailer trash that was holding a sign for Jesus outside of thousand year old Russian Church, oblivious to local inhabitants or their beliefs.
4. Dimitri Ratz | September 12th, 2012 at 12:15 pm
@2, there is a reason that another name for “Islamic Awakening” was Twitter Revolution. Countless atrocities were filmed of darker Libyans tortured, dismemberment of their genitals and them getting strung up by the Arab liberators of the democratic revolution. The dumb CNN discussion on benefits if phones could be wiped not to indicate they were rebels when captured. So where the fuck did you get they don’t have internet access? Do you live in Appalachia where only the Reverend has outside phone access?
5. JozefAL | September 12th, 2012 at 12:32 pm
Of the attacks in Libya, Klein said, “We went into this knowing this was probably going to happen.”
******
Well, if this quote is accurate, I think Mr Klein needs to face charges of being an accessory to the murder of a government official. If we could get more of these right-wing nutcases prosecuted for their incindiery rhetoric (even if their rhetoric leads to actions overseas), they might learn that “freedom of speech” is NOT unrestricted. It still galls me that the far-right has hidden behind the “well, I only said something; it’s not my fault that someone else thought that when I said ‘kill all _______s,’ I was serious about it” argument for far too long. They’ve been very quick to attack heavy metal songs for causing teen suicides (through “subliminal” messages and “backmasking”) or classic lit in high schools for having “obscene” and “offensive” language but when it’s THEIR people responsible for the hateful language, suddenly the First Amendment’s free speech guarantees take on the level of sanctity and is absolute (unless, of course, it’s speech from the “wrong” sort of people–like gays or Muslims or Democrats or women who think for themselves).
6. Athena | September 12th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
I’m usually a strong supporter of blasphemy, but I just watched that trailer, and DAMN.
That’s closer to mocking the holocaust than it is to the Life of Bryan.
7. voo | September 12th, 2012 at 1:48 pm
Hostage-taking FAIL. Stevens was meant to be Obama’s Bruce Laingen. If they didn’t get him out on a boat, he would have been the next Bill Buckley, so maybe the poor bastard lucked out.
8. Jesse | September 12th, 2012 at 3:08 pm
Gee, just when Israel is trying to get the US to attack Iran, a violence-provoking anti-Isam movie is leaked to the Islamic world. The Israeli produced movie hasn’t been released yet in English but somebody dubbed it into Arabic and sent it out to the Mid-East Muslims. For what? To get some audience reaction market research?
9. Anarchy Pony | September 12th, 2012 at 5:53 pm
Yes, they want to help support Israel, and how do they do this? Apparently by doing the movie equivalent of going out and poking their enemies repeatedly with a sharp stick.
Bunch of imbeciles.
10. ? | September 12th, 2012 at 6:18 pm
Steve Klein is doing good work. We should continue to troll extremists and use it an excuse to shoot myself when they act up.
11. Sylocat | September 12th, 2012 at 7:32 pm
I always assumed Sam Bacile was Terry Jones. Now we have another suspect? This is turning into a regular whodunnit.
12. vortexgods | September 12th, 2012 at 8:21 pm
They’ll have to come up with a new Qaddafi now. I suggest just picking one of the rednecks in costume from “The Innocence of Muslims” film. Middle America won’t know any better and they can film him ranting on screen about America, “The streets will flow with the blood of the unbeliever…” as much as they please without having to worry about him going off script.
The funny thing is, you could just put a Middle American in a shiny suit, and put him on camera saying the exact same stuff about America, and you’d have a born again preacher!
13. darthfader | September 12th, 2012 at 11:37 pm
“who claims to have led a “hunter-killer team” in Vietnam.”
As soon as I read this, I knew the type exactly. If prompted, I’m sure he’ll regale you with tales of his supposed “one-sixteenth” Cherokee heritage and then try to sell you a special water filter to increase your sperm count. Folks like that have three jobs in life: lying, begging for attention, and lying to beg for attention.
14. Matt | September 13th, 2012 at 12:09 am
Oh for fuck’s sake. What kind of religiously brainwashed moron riot and go on murder sprees over an obscure movie? Anyone remember those bombings by Scientology and Mormonism in response to insulting South Park episode? Did not think so.
15. andy | September 13th, 2012 at 1:47 am
Gotta say, it’s pretty easy to manipulate the public over there… It’s interesting how the different sets of extremists who hate each other have the same interests. Both groups want to wreck America and both groups would love to see a Republican in the White House. Hmmm.
16. Rosie | September 13th, 2012 at 2:11 am
Andy – how right you are! watch this excellent Adam Curtis documentary, “The Power of Nightmares” where he explains the symbiotic nature of Neocons and Islamists – for all they claim to hate each other, they scratch each others’ backs, and in fact, have very similar world views and goals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j27Qo6PU8Sw
17. Recently Deceased Film Critic | September 13th, 2012 at 3:17 am
Normally I have no sympathy for fanatical Muslim mobs, but after watching the trailer, I too want revenge.
18. Megan | September 13th, 2012 at 3:21 am
Whenever I see the name Daniel Pipes I have to laugh. Before I learned who this joker is I bought his anti-conspiracy theory book, ‘Conspiracy.’ Later I would find out that Pipes is PART of a conspiracy to make Muslims the fall guys.
19. Vendetta | September 13th, 2012 at 5:33 am
This is why the US government needs an AEC.
20. TG | September 13th, 2012 at 6:03 am
I’d love to see an Exiled investigation of this “‘hunter-killer team’ in Vietnam” claim, because in the end the only vets who brag publicly about that sort of thing are either the psychopaths who miss it or the REMFs who never really got near it.
That’s assuming he was in Vietnam at all during the war. Perhaps, like his fellow warmongers Cheney and Gingrich, he had “better things to do” or some kind of appointment with political destiny and managed to dodge that sh*t-show.
Also, “We went into this knowing this was probably going to happen”? In other words, he did this knowing that it would provoke mobs to attacks U.S. property and American government personnel abroad. That might not be technically treason, but it’s close enough for an ambitious prosecutor to drag his sorry arse into court.
21. Ohdear | September 13th, 2012 at 8:54 am
Jesus. I do hope that no one decides to go off on a riot of anything you clowns at the Exiled have written, because then that would be your fault.
They’d have loved you lot in the ol’ South: “If them negroes insist on gittin uppity…”
Look up what “Freedom of Speech” means you fucking twerps.
THE A.E.C. RESPONDS:
We already sparked those riots, dumbfuck.
http://exiledonline.com/mark-ames-article-on-larry-summers-sparks-riots-in-india-185-arrested-exiled-site-under-attack/
We don’t look up “freedom of speech” we live it. But you clearly can’t, so we advise you to remain the anonymous troll pussy you are.
22. joe | September 13th, 2012 at 10:03 am
This topic made it to danger room:
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/09/anti-islam-flick/
23. Jupiter | September 13th, 2012 at 11:38 am
The Libyans want the US and the rest of the westerners out of their country, and this film was just a spark that lit the fire that’s been building for a good long while now. I’d call it the “feather that broke the camels back” but that might be misinterpreted since this took place in northern Africa.
24. Jupiter | September 13th, 2012 at 12:10 pm
I mean they want the armed forces out.
25. Epsilon | September 13th, 2012 at 1:43 pm
Heh. Right now, every single politics blog with even a little conservative bent is FILLED with people demanding Muslim blood.
So yeah, the Neocons have it on the bag. Be ready for President Super Flip-Flop 9000.
26. Jedi Mind Trick | September 13th, 2012 at 5:02 pm
Far right super Christian militia members who support Israel? They do know Israel is full of Jews right? The KKK must be evolving!
27. Trickle Down | September 13th, 2012 at 7:17 pm
What the fuck? Who the hell brags about being a member of an elite unit that participated in a war that we lost? Goddamned Baby Boomers are fucked in the head.
28. Sylocat | September 13th, 2012 at 9:16 pm
Oh wow, they found “Sam Bacile,” and it’s even funnier (in a sad and horrific way) than we thought.
29. euro-dude | September 13th, 2012 at 9:27 pm
Watching the trailer of ‘Innocent Muslims’, it is clearly bullsh*t that it had a ‘$5 million’ budget or whatever. Especially if you see the long 12-minute-plus version. And not just because it is a totally boring crappy dull stupid movie, not even remotely ‘Life of Brian’.
Seems made by a college student with one of those video-making programmes, and done very badly at that – intel agency amateurism, in other words. Clip has the style where you photograph a person in a white room, and then paste that on top of stock footage of the desert, fuzzy lines all around the person’s body from the edit-pasting.
To counter the clear fact this shite is product of the Israeli-neocon-Christian-extremist axis … Israeli writer Victor Kotsev is actually suggesting it was the Syrian government (!) that sponsored this slander-Prophet video, to start riots in Arab Spring countries and prove to the West that ‘regime change’ in Syria would be a disaster. Funny Mossad touting there by Kotsev trying some wild deflection-disinfo for his fellow Israelis.
30. Epode | September 14th, 2012 at 1:32 am
People don’t have a right to not be offended. I don’t know why this hardly gets discussed in this matter.
A film put out by a number of private individuals offends a number of boy-buggering heathens, and they go bananas, linking something it with the moral content of whole nations.
Even if it were valid to connect one private party with a whole nation, it nevertheless cannot righteously lead to murder.
That’s all that needs to be said.
31. Hrrrrrk | September 14th, 2012 at 1:44 am
Good gawd,did someone bleach the fucking Grinch and give him a suit?
32. Jay | September 14th, 2012 at 4:26 am
Steve Klein should be appointed US Secretary of State. US embassies (and their CIA outfits) would fall like dominos. Say goodbye to US hegemony.
33. Trevor | September 14th, 2012 at 6:47 am
It’s a safe bet anyone who publicly declares their special ops experience has just read too many Tom Clancy novels.
34. Eurotrash | September 14th, 2012 at 7:56 am
@7
Not quite Buckley-level horrors, perhaps, but early reports indicate Stevens was raped much as Ghadaffi was. Not sure how substantial that is.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/watercooler/2012/sep/13/picket-report-murdered-us-ambassador-libya-reporte/
@30
“People don’t have a right to not be offended. I don’t know why this hardly gets discussed in this matter…”
That might be your opinion, but it’s not shared by the good folk of Benghazi, or Sana’a, or Khartoum. In fact, they’re going to prove to you that there’s a price for offending their precious sensibilities.
The question is not “why are they offended when I’m not bothered?” or even “so what’s wrong with being offended?” but “are we willing to pay the price for offending them, no matter how daft their sensibilities look to us?”
35. David Brooks | September 14th, 2012 at 8:41 am
Steve Klein, a good ol’ goy, and I would like to know if there are any young Coptic Christian Egyptian boys we can fondle while watching Paul Wolfowitz anal bleach his mother for Pam AynZion Gellar’s charity event where she sucks off thirteen blonde Nazis who hate Muslims?
36. Strelnikov | September 14th, 2012 at 11:07 am
Allegedly Sam Bacile is Nakoula Bassley Nakoula, a Coptic Egyptian from Cerritos, CA. He was convicted of bank fraud in the late 1990s, later arrested for trying to make meth. The “Innocence of Muslims” was his first film, and bits of the movie were shot in his house.
37. Dimitri Ratz | September 14th, 2012 at 5:07 pm
Mainstream media’s pointing out that this production is by Coptic Christian is very responsible as Coptic Christians (numbering 10% of Egypt) had their houses burning for just being Christian during start of the riot, this clarification should really calm things down. Responsible journalism….. Because those views are representative of Coptic Christians, each of them just cant wait to start their own slanderous video.
38. Zhu Bajie | September 14th, 2012 at 5:43 pm
Klein’s got a pretty weird expression, like he’s thinking “Nobody knows I’ve got a giant butt
39. Zhu Bajie | September 14th, 2012 at 5:44 pm
Klein’s got a pretty weird expression, like he’s thinking “Nobody knows I’ve got a giant butt-plug up my ass!”
40. Zhu Bajie | September 14th, 2012 at 5:58 pm
I’ve expected some US entrepreneur to re-write the Protocols of the Elders of Zion as an anti-Muslim tract. Maybe this movie is the equivalent!
41. doghouse riley | September 14th, 2012 at 6:08 pm
What this amounts to is murder & treason.
When the video was released the Koch’s
knew what the endresult would be.
There’s enough here for an indictment. It’s not like this is the only shady deal they’ve
ever done.
42. Zhu Bajie | September 14th, 2012 at 6:45 pm
@9 Anarchy Pony, the Religious Rightniks in the US are not pro-Israel or pro-Jewish per se. They need a Jewish state in their future history to re-create a Third Temple, with animal sacrifices, etc., so the Anti-Christ can defile it and thus bring about the return of Jesus. They fully expect most Jews to die in the process.
As annoying as you’d find it, you would also find a reading of _The Late Great Planet Earth_ very instructive.
43. Zhu Bajie | September 14th, 2012 at 6:54 pm
@30“People don’t have a right to not be offended. I don’t know why this hardly gets discussed in this matter…”
Most places in the world, most people DO think they have a right to be treated politely. Americans kill each other all the time over being “disrespected.”
44. Zhu Bajie | September 14th, 2012 at 6:57 pm
I cannot imagine this movie will improve the lot of Copts in Egypt. Perhaps “Bacile” is anti-Copt as well as anti-Muslim? Born-again Protestants usually reject the ancient liturgical churches as “pagan.”
45. Epsilon | September 14th, 2012 at 7:02 pm
“are we willing to pay the price for offending them, no matter how daft their sensibilities look to us?”
So far?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCZ5Jz_Cr64
Yes.
46. RuggedIndividualist | September 14th, 2012 at 7:09 pm
The Libyan attack was conducted with an RPG or two. Anyone thinking that was a spontaneous riot of average citizens properly believes the whole teaparty grass roots myth.
Do you know why the whole “Sharia law” thing outrages conservatives? Because it’s the exact same thing they would do if they could and it exposes them for what they are. It’s the exact same reason they rant against “big government” while supporting the most authoritarian measures.
The “riot” instigators in Libya are just the equivalent of Klein’s politically motivated crazy. Someone with an agenda saw an opening and faked a grass roots moment to open up the floodgates of future recruitment.
To the objectivists who always trot out the claim that you never see Christians calling for the blood of people who insult their religion, do you honestly think they WOULDN’T if they could get away with it? Strip away any effective government, oversight, and police force, you’d start seeing public executions for abortion doctors and porn stars pretty damn quick. The only thing keeping things from getting violent in first world nations is a stable nation.
Think of it like Vegas casinos. Once they got big and legit enough, they could afford to simply ruin the credit of cheaters. Don’t think for a second though that they wouldn’t go back to taking a hammer to your knuckles if that was their only option.
47. helplesscase | September 14th, 2012 at 10:49 pm
@42: That’s their game-plan? Christ…
48. Zhu Bajie | September 14th, 2012 at 11:08 pm
@14 “What kind of religiously brainwashed moron riot and go on murder sprees over an obscure movie?”
It’s not so much the movie as the whole last 10 years of murder campaigns, torture gulags, etc. Middle East people have every reason to fear genocide and to protest what the US has done.
Americans should stay home, leave the rest of the world alone.
49. Zhu Bajie | September 14th, 2012 at 11:21 pm
@18 The same thing happened to me. I heard Pipes interviewed on VOA, back when they still did such things. I read CONSPIRACY and thought it OK. But eventually I stumbled across his website. What an eye-opener! Yet, he has a column in the Jerusalem Post and passes for well-informed in the US media, when he’s the equivalent of the Jew-haters of 100 years ago. What a putz!
50. Zhu Bajie | September 15th, 2012 at 12:25 am
@26 They plan on most of the Jews killed being in the end. But they need a Jewish state for a while.
51. Zhu Bajie | September 15th, 2012 at 12:34 am
@46 “To the objectivists who always trot out the claim that you never see Christians calling for the blood of people who insult their religion, do you honestly think they WOULDN’T if they could get away with it?”
It used to be rather common, early 20th century and earlier. The KKK definitely defended the Protestant religion against Jews, Catholics, even Pentecostals when they were new.
52. francis P. Hughes | September 15th, 2012 at 3:47 am
Steve Klein is a american right wing jew who
is trying to provoke a war agaist the Muslims The man is a fraud and if he ever was in the U.S. Military it was likely as a supply clerk. The greatest Jewish Israeli that ever lived was Itzak Rabin who was killed by a right wing rabbinical student who was incited by none other than Netanyahu. He repeatedly and publicly called Rabin a traitor for agreeing to the Oslo Accords.
53. A-Lex | September 15th, 2012 at 5:22 am
The bottom line, Max, is that the peace-loving Arabs you constantly advocate in your Middle East articles have once again demonstrated that they are always ready and willing to launch a killing spree and burn down embassies over a nerdish home video.
Which the world should have been pretty much aware of for the past 30 years – save for people like you.
54. DocAmazing | September 15th, 2012 at 1:31 pm
To the objectivists who always trot out the claim that you never see Christians calling for the blood of people who insult their religion, do you honestly think they WOULDN’T if they could get away with it?
Abortion insults their religion, and that is why they bomb and burn clinics and shoot physicians and other staff members of those clinics.
Christians have been very busy murdering people with whom they disagree in the US for the past three decades.
55. M.ZERGIOTIS | September 15th, 2012 at 4:52 pm
Its ok for muslims BOYS to befriend the AUSTRALIAN GIRLS so they can have sex with them then dump them (TO SAW THERE WILD OATS)Then they marry the muslim VIRGIN girls. AUSTRALIAN GIRLS are being USED BY THESE MUSLIM USERS. The Muslims do so much to us Christians do you here us go to SYDNEY to protest and RIOT and ABUSE our Police Men that are protecting our Country, They took a little thing & made it to the point that there ABUSIVE OUR SYSTEM. THEY HAVE TO RESPECT FOR OUR COUNTRY. THEY SHOULD GO BACK TO THERE OUR COUNTRY WHERE THERE ARE USED TO DO THESE RIOTS IN THERE COUNTRY. WE DONT WANT THESE KINDS OF PEOPLE HERE IN AUSTRALIA.
56. HelloFoctor | September 16th, 2012 at 12:02 am
@54
yeah but why do you consider those people christians?
57. Eurotrash | September 16th, 2012 at 1:52 am
That’s a tired old argument, Foctor. Since a true believer would never murder anyone, they can’t be true believers, etc
They’re no need to move the goalposts. A man may adhere to a religion in a cultural sense only – most do – and feel unrestricted by any of the particular niceties the religion prescribes while still cheerfully murdering you in the name of its ever-compassionate god.
58. JLamar | September 16th, 2012 at 10:58 am
“We went into this knowing this was probably going to happen.”
Wait… They KNEW that making this film would incite violence against a US embassy?!?
When you create a work knowing full well that it will incite violence against American interests, at home or abroad, that’s treason, and any constitutional or legal scholar will tell you that we have a solid treason case.
If our government doesn’t bring treason charges against these people, then that proves that they were complicit in this.
59. zhubajie | September 16th, 2012 at 2:42 pm
If Americans would stop trying to rule the world, they would stop making enemies everywhere.
60. Strelnikov | September 16th, 2012 at 4:56 pm
People don’t have a right to be necessarily by treated politely either. The burden of offense is on the offended, not on the offender.
And there’s a good reason for this. People find all manner of reasons under the sun to be offended. If we went entirely according to their subjective analysis, our courts would be absolutely choked with bullshit.
But here’s the thing you faggots don’t understand. Criminal behavior cannot righteously descend from “MUH FEELINGS.” If you believe it can, we have a fundamental disagreement that cannot be solved by anything but the sword. I believe a man’s right to life is more important than another man’s right to not be offended. This shouldn’t be controversial. This is fucking common sense. It’s you very-same liberals that justified the wholesale genocide of Poles at the hands of the Russians, saying that Poles are born anti-semites and thus deserving of murder. Eat a fucking dick you miserable little Temujins.
I am saddened to hear we have so many apologists for the boy-buggering WOGs that murder our kin.
61. Eurotrash | September 17th, 2012 at 1:26 am
It’s not an apology, Kowalski. It’s an explanation of an event that seems to puzzle some people.
62. Jedi Mind Trick | September 17th, 2012 at 4:53 am
#60
Is that some sort of pick up line?
63. super390 | September 18th, 2012 at 5:16 pm
So when Tea Party protestors scream racist abuse at civil rights veteran Rep. John Lewis, or attack black reporters and cameramen, does that mean that Americans are violent racists, or that a significant number of Teabaggers are racist?
At least accord the same distinction between “Moslems” and “Salafists”. The whole population of Libya was not trying to burn down that consulate, nor even a large number of Libyans, and we know from last year’s events that a large number of Libyans are willing to risk their lives for their actual convictions.
64. Why should I care? | September 18th, 2012 at 8:49 pm
This is all very exciting and sensational, but it just doesn’t seem very important.
If we work by the metric “your rights end where my feelings begin” then the boundaries of speech shall always be set by the religious right. That’s simply untenable, and so the whole “speech that deliberately insults people must be banned” notion has to go. Don’t worry about the poor offended monotheists too much; they are eminently durable peoples.
And as for the actual damage: well, if you’re working in a U.S. embassy in North Africa, then it’s understood you might die for it. Not really all that morally different than signing up for the army. It sounds like the U.S. ambassador was an uncommonly cool guy (press hype or truth?) and I feel badly for any Libyan passersby that got caught up in the rioting, but honestly.
So who really died here? Some brave embassy staff, adults that knew the risks when they signed up. A handful of angry young men — easily manipulated, dangerous, violent people in any society. No big deal if you lose a few of ’em, or a few thousand of ’em — American could stand to shed a few herself, because ours were mostly too chicken to sign up for the army when Iraq stated.
No what’s the problem here? No harm, no foul. For the most part this situation has been win-win. Let the extremists butt heads while sane people stand back and laugh. I don’t want this cultural exchange to end! I want to build, like, Thunderdome or something and make it legit. Ticketmaster will soak us when it comes to buying season tickets, sure, but nobody said the future wouldn’t be challenging.
65. fajensen | September 21st, 2012 at 2:04 pm
So far nobody has cottoned on to the strange coincidence that the riots just happens to be on 9/11, the jihaddist 4’th of july, and the movie just happens to have been on youtoob for several months, where nobody gave a rats arse.
The internet in maybe slow in saudi and pakistan – but not *that* slow!!
The whole thing is made up: The official 9/11 celebration parties got a bit out of hand and in the spirit of inter-cultural understanding a story was made up, blame apportioned where no punishment could be given and everybody bought it – right up to the total denial of a terrorist attack on the US ambassador. Pathetic!
66. Rehmat | September 27th, 2012 at 2:35 pm
The AEC sayeth: Your commenting is not untolerated on this hallowed comment section ground. But the AEC does not take kindly to giving out free ads to bullshit blogs. Look inside your soul: have you made a generous offering to the AEC? Canadian Jewish academic, Henry Makow PhD, who as a young Zionist spent a few years at illegal Jewish settlement in occupied Palestine – says that the murder of US ambassador was an Israeli false flag operation to push America into war with Iran.
“The US ambassador to Libya murdered earlier today was a martyr to Zionist attempts to draw the US into war with Iran.