Have We Told You That We're Sorry

Our friends in Egypt

"We sit by and watch the barbarian. We tolerate him in the long stretches of peace, we are not afraid. We are tickled by his irreverence; his comic inversion of our old certitudes and our fixed creed refreshes us; we laugh. But as we laugh we are watched by large and awful faces from beyond, and on these faces there are no smiles." - Hilaire Belloc

The embassy in Cairo published a statement online saying,

"The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims -- as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions. ... Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy. We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others."

The statement from Mr. Belloc is timeless. The statement from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo is shameful and one can only hope that the embassy statement was issued in a moment of panic and duress. The Embassy statement no longer appears on the Embassy website.

Nations do not have friends they have national interests. Nations however have enemies and when your enemies no longer fear you, or have the belief that you are weak you will be attacked.

The claim that an obscure movie insulted Islam is no excuse for what occurred in Egypt or Libya. What happened on September 11th in those two countries should be a wake up call for those that believe in apologizing for free speech to the murderers of a US Ambassador and his staff members will somehow bring peace to our shores, and to our citizens abroad.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/chris-stevens-us-libya-ambassador-killed-142949456.html