Going Ghost

Unless you’ve been paying close attention, you’ve probably missed the story of Molly Norris. The mainstream media has covered the story, but as quickly and unobtrusively as possible. Surprising, given that it involves first amendment freedoms and direct threats to freedom of the press. USA Today reports:

At the urging of the FBI, the Seattle cartoonist behind "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" is "going ghost" — leaving town, changing her name, creating a new identity because of the death threat issued in July by an Islamic cleric linked to the failed Times Square bombing, the Seattle Weekly says of its former contributor.

The Cartoonist Formerly Known As Molly Norris gained notoriety in April with a comic response to Comedy Central's censoring of a South Park episode after its creators received a death threat from Brooklyn-based radical Muslims offended by satirical representations of Mohammed. Islam forbids any representation of the prophet, which is considered blasphemous.

It’s astonishing that Mollie’s story has been covered so unenthusiastically the MSM. Yes, they did report the facts, but where is the commentary? Where are the editorials that condemn the Islamists who threaten death for drawing a cartoon? Where is the level of outrage that was ubiquitous when an obscure preacher threatened to burn the Quran?

When the Washington Examiner went to leading journalism associations for comment, this is what they got:

The Examiner asked the American Society of News Editors for a statement on the issue, none was forthcoming. This despite the fact that the first sentence of ASNE's Web site describes its mission as supporting "the First Amendment at home and free speech around the world." We got a similar response from the Society of Professional Journalists, despite its dedication "to the perpetuation of the free press as the cornerstone of our nation and liberty."

Curious … until you think about the narrative that has been adopted throughout the Left-leaning MSM—Islam is to be characterized as “the religion of peace.” When events occur that might cause readers to question that characterization or to realize that some very violent, anti-Western people have hijacked the religion, those events are to be ignored, or if that’s not possible, the story is to be deemphasized.

But the Mollie Norris story has other curious aspects. The last time I checked, the FBI worked under the auspices of the Department of Justice—a federal agency controlled by the Obama administration. Why did the FBI suggest going ghost, as opposed to a more aggressive stance that might place armed officers of the law to protect Mollie Norris, allowing her to continue her work as a cartoonist? After all, this has been done many times in the past, why not now?

And why has the President not commented on this case? He inserted himself into the debate on the mosque near ground zero, claiming (incorrectly in my view) that it was all about freedom of religion—a constitutional matter. In the case of Molly Norris, there is no doubt whatsoever that it’s about freedom of the press (a constitutional matter) and yet, the President remains silent. Why is that?

We should all be ashamed that the federal government allows an Islamist thug to radically alter the life of an American cartoonist. The journalistic world should be doubly ashamed that they’ve decided to whimper in the face of direct threats against their most basic of freedoms. Pathetic.