Salaam. Zan, your article is superb and I thank you for speaking out.

As you subtly point out, the issue really isn't about Islam, cartoons or violence, the vilification and dehumanization of Muslims -- these are merely symptoms. The cartoons themselves are yet another example of how Westerners have come to take their freedoms for granted -- to a degree that any meaningful respect for those freedoms and self-responsibility, in the exercise of those freedoms, has been all but abandoned.

The devaluing of our freedoms has evolved as a structural component of the America's culture. America is no longer the melting pot of immigrants earmarked by understanding and tolerance, rather we've become a nation of independent ghettoes -- assimilation has been replaced by fragmentation.

For decades now, the rise of subcultures and identifiable special interest groups has diminished allegiance to the national, common good and promoted, instead, allegiance to parochial ghetto agendas. Competition among these ghettoes for survival and/or dominance has created a social zero sum game that has risen to the highest political office in the land.

Ghetto-ization is usually termed "divisiveness" and it seems to pervade every dimension of U.S. society.

Last June, Karl Rove, the President's Chief of Staff for Domestic Affairs (fitting title), gained widespread press coverage with his remarks at a fundraiser for the Conservative Party of New York City State:

"Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 in the attacks and prepared for war; liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers."

As if that weren't enough, citing calls by progressive groups to respond carefully to the attacks, Rove continued, to the applause of several hundred audience members, "I don't know about you, but moderation and restraint is not what I felt when I watched the twin towers crumble to the ground, a side of the Pentagon destroyed, and almost 3,000 of our fellow citizens perish in flames and rubble."

"Has there ever been a more revealing moment this year?" Mr. Rove asked. "Let me just put this in fairly simple terms: Al Jazeera now broadcasts the words of Senator Durbin to the Mideast, certainly putting our troops in greater danger. No more needs to be said about the motives of liberals."

These remarks illustrate what passes for "acceptable political ghetto-ization" -- just 0how many factions has Rove attacked in his attempt to  alienate?  However, such remarks form a high visibility political leader also serve to enable the most ignorant and intolerant Bevis and Buttheads to vilify and dehumanize anyone and everyone whom they perceive to be in disagreement-- at will, without regard to the consequences -- and in the name of Freedom of Speech.

It's a sad commentary, indeed, when outrageous acts of oppression, suppression and disinformation can be wrapped in the cloak of freedom and protected on legal or any other grounds.

It's even sadder that the cartoons and the violent reactions have polarized arguments to a degree that neither side may back down without losing face.

As you point out, Zan, freedom of the press and rebellion against the press really aren't the issues.

The issues are polarized myopia because of IGNORANCE, hatred because of IGNORANCE, intolerance because of IGNORANCE, disrespect because of IGNORANCE, lack of understanding, insight and sensitivity because of IGNORANCE, and the freedom to be IGNORANT!