Friday, March 28, 2008

What To Do If You Are Killed


Word has come to me today that a certain prominent anti-Jihad commentator has had their life threatened by Fatwa. This person has been forced underground. Addresses have been changed. Their words will not be read for now. Voice will not be heard. All contact with the outside world has been snuffed out like a candle, leaving our world that much darker.

Freedom of Speech has been violated. We are one step further from a free soceity, and one step closer to a fear society.

This person is someone you all know and love. You would all care to know about this person's well-being. You would want to know that they are ok.

But, you won't know, because this person's response is to shut down completely, to go silent.

We could criticize this person and say, "They are not brave enough," but that would be absolutely unfair. This person has stood up, as few in this world have stood up.

And, this person is not the first anti-Jihad warrior to shut up in the face of threats. When an anti-Jihadi shuts up, in any manner, the effect is silence. Therefore, no one knows that anything has happened.
I have often thought that, if I were a black man, and someone burned a cross on my lawn, I would leave the burnt cross there for all to see. I would leave it there to shame my neighbors into helping me track down the people who burnt the cross on my lawn in the first place.
A burnt cross on a lawn is a shame on the whole neighborhood. A life threatened for the exercise of free speech IS A SHAME ON OUR WHOLE SOCIETY. Why is it that we all shut up when we are threatened. Would it not be better to announce the threats, every single one of them, publicly?

Is it not the first responsibility of government to ensure the rights of its citizens? Can we not expect to be protected when we are threatened for exercising our God-granted right to Freedom of Speech?
So, here's my question, why is it that, when we are threatened, we shut up? Why do we choose to shuffle off into silence, as if we are the ones who have done something wrong?

Why is it we don't shout the truth from the rooftops, that fascists are threatening to kill us exactly because we have chosen to exercise our freedom.

So, let me tell you the truth. I have had my life threatened on more than one occasion. And, I shut up about it. I thought about calling the police, or the FBI, but somehow, in my mind, it made sense to ignore the threats. They just didn't seem that big a deal.

I have to wonder, though, if I am simply in denial.

"No," I tell myself. "You just aren't that important, Pastorius. Why would anyone want to kill you? For you to think someone would want to kill you is a kind of self-aggrandizement. It's a way for you to feel special."

And, I am right, and I am wrong.

Truth is, hardly anyone knows or cares what I write, and I am safe behind the bunker of my virtual anonymity.

But, I am not the only person at IBA to have been threatened. Another contributor has had to have police protection on occasion.

Another contributor was threatened with a lawsuit by a high official of a Middle East nation.

Another contributor had their name, address, and telephone number published on a white supremacist website, along with the names of their children, their spouse, the address of their business, the details of their charitable contrbutions, and a helpful Google map to their home.

Through backchannels, I know that the close friend of another prominent anti-Jihadi (an organizer) has had his life threatened in very specific manner. Additionally, one of his friends wound up dead under mysterious circumstances. This friend had also been somewhat prominent in organizing the anti-Jihad movement. His family asks that nothing be said about his death.

And, finally, I have noticed that another prominent anti-Jihad blogger appears to have moved to another part of the country, and never said a word about it. The blogger did note, in the comments section, that they had been threatened, but that was all they said publicly. Shortly, thereafter, this blogger seemed to have changed time zones.

And, meanwhile, many of us have been fighting among one another. Backstabbing and sniping and accusing one another of siding with our enemies. I myself have contributed more than my share to that debate.

But, let me ask a question, why is it that we all shut up when we are threatened. Would it not be better to announce the threats, every single one of them, publicly?

Why is it that we tirelessly defend free speech, but then shut up about the fact that our freedom is being directly threatened? The uninitiated might be prone to believe that our paranoia about the loss of free speech is unfounded.

Today's Infidel quote of the day is from Robert Spencer. It says:

Once you declare one group off-limits for critical examination or declare that these people must at all costs not be offended, or that if they are, they’re perfectly within their rights to stone, or lash, or imprison, or kill the offender, then you have destroyed free speech.

In a free society, people with differing opinions live together in harmony, agreeing not to kill one another if their neighbor’s opinions offend them. Whenever offensive speech is prohibited, the tyrant’s power is solidified.

Is not the tyrant's power also solidified when he is free to make threats in the backrooms of our movement?

Ayaan Hirsi Ali has been criticized for going around the world, lecturing people on the fact that her life is under constant threat, and asking for money to pay for her protection. And yes, it is true there would appear to be something unseemly about the way she makes a spectacle of herself.

But, I think she is doing exactly the right thing. When Ayaan Hirsi Ali makes a spectacle of herself, she makes a specatle of her inevitable martydom. Because, ultimately, some of us are going to be killed. Some of us have already been killed. We would be living in denial to think it can not, also, happen to one of us.

And, if some of us are to be killed, then isn't it better that we leave a trail of breadcrumbs leading back to the scene of the crime, so that no one can deny the reason it happened. Isn't it better that we say,

"On this day, I wrote ..., and on this day, I received this threat because of it"?

I am beginning to wonder if we ought to start a website, or maybe an organization, which will announce these threats. The Religion of Peace announces the terror attacks committed by crazy Muslims everyday. And, I'm glad they do, but that is reactive. Should we not also be pro-active? We are pro-active about exposing the madness of the Jihadis, so why are we not willing to expose it when it is directed squarely at us?

We are only the messengers. We have done nothing deserving of shame. We should not slink off into obscurity.

If they threaten the messenger, we ought to expose them. Then, if they do, indeed, one day kill the messenger, the murder will be the message we send, instead of the message they send.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

link to wilders' fitna: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7d9_1206624103

Pastorius said...

Thanks for the link, but unfortunately it doesn't work.

truepeers said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Epaminondas said...

"I am beginning to wonder if we ought to start a website, or maybe an organization, which will announce these threats. The Religion of Peace announces the terror attacks committed by crazy Muslims everyday"

Excellent, count me in.
I have averaged 2-3 death threats a year which seem to be more than hysterical morons. I have said nothing, not to my wife, or anyone.

I think however, YOU have the right idea, Pasto.

Pastorius said...

I've thought about this subject a bit over the years. I figured that if I wrote about it, people would give me all the good reasons for not going public. I've attempted to think them through already. I couldn't possibly think of everything.

Anyway, the copycat issue would be a real consideration. What can be said?

Pastorius said...

Epa,
I like how you put that, it shows that you do have perspective on this. You don't take every death threat that seriously.

It seems to me that sitting in silence, while others try to ruin our lives with death threats, is ridiculous.

Here's a scenario I have thought about:

As a hypothetical, if I were a black man, and someone burned a cross on my lawn, I would leave the burnt cross there for all to see, and I would leave it there to shame my neighbors into helping me track down the people who burnt the cross on my lawn in the first place.

A burnt cross on a lawn is a shame on the whole neighborhood.

LIKEWISE,

a life threatened for simple speech

IS A SHAME ON OUR WHOLE SOCIETY.

Epaminondas said...

I have always maintained that this stuff IS the KKK of Islam. So I really like the analogy.

BURNING CROSS.

Blog name?

Pastorius said...

I like it.

Good idea.

Although, people might think it's a Christian website.

Always On Watch said...

Having needed protection--which was provided without my even asking for it--I had the following reactions:

1. A sort of euphoria in knowing that what I was doing and saying might actually be important enough that somebody wanted to shut me up.

2. Three solid days of contemplation. How much am I willing to risk? My life? The lives of my family? My job? Friendships? All of those are at risk, sooner or later, I think.

3. After those three days, the determination that, in America, I will not be silenced. So many have fought and died to give me the freedom to speak my mind. Should I let what they did be in vain?

But I have to be honest here. Yes, I ratcheted up my noise; nevertheless, I did not go public enough as to why I've become more strident. I can rationalize as to why I didn't go public. But such a rationalization is a form of denial. And denial won't cut it if we are to win!

I've realized over the past several months how much we take for granted our freedom to speak our minds. And that freedom is being threatened--sometimes in little ways, sometimes in big ways.

I started out this blogging effort of mine as a way to fill some time after convalescing from injuries sustained a car accident. At first, my blogging was a lark. It's not a lark any more.

Threats, even if the authorities will not take those threats seriously, should be told. We have the web. We have Internet radio. Both of those media provide us quite a bit of anonymity.

There are other media as well, even though they are hard to access.

We shouldn't kid ourselves. Anonymity can be breeched. What we counter-jihadists are doing carries an element of risk.

Do we infidels have the guts to continue on--no matter what the consequence(s)?

I like the idea of a site on which to detail the threats. Otherwise, the jihadis have the final word about OUR lives.

Pastorius said...

AOW,
The question of whether any one of us, as individuals, has the guts to continue on is one we could only answer with a knife to our throats.

WATCHER71 said...

I think Epa is on the money with the symbolism of the burning cross in it's intention...to outrage and indignate the population, because lets face it, what the multi media counter Jihad is about is social engineering. Necessary social engineering. We need to change the way people are thinking... Because if we don't all is lost. I just think that 1/ The usage of the symbolism of the burning cross will not outrage ABSOLUTELY every body. Not all white people will be angry at the Klan, as they should be. 2/ In particular a large section of the people we need to win back would view the ethnocentric western far right as a good thing. A Trans cultural/ethnic/national symbol of outrage and western indignation must be used, as the struggle is global.
What can we do? We each have our skills, a role to play. I try to Blog but struggle to find time to do so (EXAMS EXAMS EXAMS !!), What I have started to do instead is create internet videos that have a social and cultural message in them, inserted by editing, designed to project, to a trans/national/ethnic base, why/that the struggle is necessary, beyond Western economic or political affiliation. They are roughly put together (LOL!) but getting better!

1/Support and thank you to the troops for the tough job they do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNRSP0F-WI8



2/Outrage and indignation...'LETS ROLL!!'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWrurxHaMZ8

A Website detailing(somehow anonymously) threats made and if possible, who from is a good thing....I think it's fair to say the knife is at our throats..

Pastorius said...

Cool videos, Watcher. I put up the second one.

Anonymous said...

Just buzzing by...
Fitna can still be dl'd @ "The Religion of Peace, and Michael Savage just said He's getting it posted on his website, right now.
Listen to him online, right now on, "KNEW am" radio.

Always On Watch said...

Some trouble for Kevin of the blog The Amboy Times?

All because he posted a list of things offensive to Muslims.

Kevin asks that we spread the word.