On Korans, Flames, and Murder

What is permissible is not necessarily right--or smart.

Goldberg is right. A lunatic pastor has the right to burn a Koran.

The lunatic pastor has no right to expect his stunt will be welcome by other Americans (let alone Moslems).

Other Americans have every right to criticize him for the idiotic stunt.

But the stunt an acceptable excuse for murder in response.


Nor is the violent reaction to the stunt a reason to infringe on the pastor's right to do carry out the stunt.

On a related matter, it doesn't bother me that General Petraeus responded as he did in condemning the stunt rather than going to bat for freedom of speech here. He has a war to fight and win over there, and the Taliban exploitation of the incident hurt our war effort.

But he's a general in his lane. He doesn't set the terms of our society or interpret the Constitution. I expect better of our elected officials than to bow to the Koran as if it supplants our Constitution on matters of state and our freedoms. You'd think that wall between religion and state would be a little higher, eh?