Friedman the Fucking Fascist

Well, he’s done it again. After that article referred to in my July 12 post (“Thank goodness for cool friends” - the original article was “If It's a Muslim Problem, It Needs a Muslim Solution” from the NYT) in which the author demands that if there are terrorist attacks, Muslims better stop them… or pay the price. Now Friedman's calling for lists of people who criticize the government’s insane policies. Some choice clips:

The State Department produces an annual human rights report. Henceforth, it should also produce a quarterly War of Ideas Report, which would focus on those religious leaders and writers who are inciting violence against others.

We also need to spotlight the "excuse makers," the former State Department spokesman James Rubin said. After every major terrorist incident, the excuse makers come out to tell us why imperialism, Zionism, colonialism or Iraq explains why the terrorists acted. These excuse makers are just one notch less despicable than the terrorists and also deserve to be exposed. When you live in an open society like London, where anyone with a grievance can publish an article, run for office or start a political movement, the notion that blowing up a busload of innocent civilians in response to Iraq is somehow "understandable" is outrageous. "It erases the distinction between legitimate dissent and terrorism," Mr. Rubin said, "and an open society needs to maintain a clear wall between them."

Every quarter, the State Department should identify the Top 10 hatemongers, excuse makers and truth tellers in the world. It wouldn't be a cure-all. But it would be a message to the extremists: you are free to say what you want, but we are free to listen, to let the whole world know what you are saying and to protect every free society from hate spreaders like you. Words matter.

It’s just one step from compiling lists to throwing the listees into concentration camps you asshole. We already have right-wing whack-jobs calling for progressive journalists to be jailed (O’Reilly calling for the people at Air America to be incarcerated: http://mediamatters.org/items/200506220006). Lynn Stewart and Judith Miller will be there to greet us, so I guess we'll at least be in good company as we're being made to stand on little boxes with electrodes to our fingers, toes and privates.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/22/opinion/22friedman.html?n=Top%2fOpinion%2fEditorials%20and%20Op%2dEd%2fOp%2dEd%2fColumnists%2fThomas%20L%20Friedman