Don't judge us by our village idiot and we won't judge you by yours

Try as I might, I just can't seem to get away from Rev. Jones.  It's obvious this man is thoroughly enjoying his newfound media status, even if he claims his actions are in the name of a higher power.  He has resorted to blackmail, changed his mind a few times, and has hidden behind the 1st Amendment to cover his zenophobic/hate-filled plans for a Quran BBQ.  While this has got me somewhat riled, I just can't bring myself to get outright angry at the man.  I seem to feel more of the emotional equivalent of heartburn towards him, and this feeling is further extended towards the copycat preachers in my home state (~1 hour drive from us) and Kansas.

But what really astounds me is the way the Muslim world has reacted to all of this.  Word of a number of protests documented by Reuters and other sources has been coming in for a few days now.*  These people are up in arms about the way one zealot/fool/camera-chaser in America has acted.  My first thought was: I don't pretend to fully understand the social ramifications that faith in Islam brings to a culture, but surely rational people can see that this is the work of one deranged American man and not some act condoned by an entire nation.  Then I stopped to think: all that the talking-heads have dribbled on about for the past week has been this man.  His plans, his negotiations, the people he has appeased/pissed off, his beliefs, etc.  He has gotten world-wide attention from heads of state and military generals, all the way down to imams in backwoods villages in 3rd world countries.  From that point of view, America seems to be supporting him (!), courtesy of the mainstream media.

If this narcisistic, hate-fueld fool does his deed come Saturday, I can't help but think that some other hate-fueled fool(s) from the Muslim faith will do something on an equal (or far worse) scale.  Maybe we should just cut out the middle man: drug the good Rev., ship him over to Backwoodsistan, and let him continue his little spectacle however he chooses.  He gets lots of attention (maybe not the kind he originally sought, but you know what they say about choosy beggars), they get to do some bodily harm to an American infidel (they're probably going to try later anyways), and the rest of the semi-normal inhabitants of Earth can continue on until the next Big Comupance crosses the newswires.


*Sidenote: Really, Reuters, when was the last time black smoke in the background indicated 'no signs of disturbance'?