The Jewish Press: “Savaged For Daring To Name Savagery: Pamela Geller Attacked by Critics of Free Speech”

Finally, a sweet breath of intellectual fresh air in what is otherwise a fetid, squalid cesspool of media bias and sharia-compliant tools (aka journalists). Kudos to Lori Lowenthal Marcus. Brilliant!

Savaged For Daring To Name Savagery: Pamela Geller Attacked by Critics of Free Speech

Lori Lowenthal Marcus  The Jewish Press, September 24, 2012

Story continues below advertisement

The ads are already running on the sides of
San Francisco buses, they began running today, September 24th, in New
York City, and they were scheduled to begin appearing in the Washington,
D.C. metro system. However, the DC system balked, citing the violent
rioting by Muslims allegedly inflamed by a YouTube video which
represents, so Geller initiated an emergency court action at the end of
last week to enforce her First Amendment rights.

Pamela Geller, conservative commentator and blogger provocateur, is
the executive director of the American Freeedom Defense Initiative. 
AFDI created and paid for an ad campaign to run in several urban transit
systems, in response to anti-Israel ads that ran in the same spaces.

The AFDI ads contain a paraphrase from the philosopher Ayn Rand: “In
any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized
man.”  It concludes with: “Support Israel. 
Defeat Jihad.”

The
ads are already running on the sides of San Francisco buses, they began
running today, September 24th, in New York City, and they were
scheduled to begin appearing in the Washington, D.C. metro system. 
However, the DC system balked, citing the violent rioting by Muslims
allegedly inflamed by a YouTube video which represents, so Geller
initiated an emergency court action at the end of last week to enforce
her First Amendment rights.

Because there is so much misinformation both about Geller and her ad, The Jewish Press
asked her to explain what her ad means, why it is scheduled to run this
week, what the responses to it have been and, most importantly, why she
continues to express her views so publicly, when she is repeatedly
condemned by virtually the entire spectrum of mainstream media and even
by other Jewish and pro-Israel groups.

First, let’s get the chronology and the geography straight.

2010, Seattle

In late 2010, in Seattle, Washington, anti-Israel groups sought to
run advertisements on the side of municipal buses reading: “Israeli War
Crimes: Your tax dollars at work. Stop30billion-Seattle.org.”  Just
before the anti-Israel ads were about to go up, the county executive
crafted a new policy banning all non-commercial advertisements.  The new
policy enabled the municipality to reject not only the anti-Israel ad,
but also two counter-ads that had been submitted, one of which was one
proposed by Geller, the other one offered by the David Horowitz Freedom
Center.

September, 2011, New York

Last September, another series of anti-Israel ads went up in various
transit systems including the one in New York City.  This ad shows two
smiling dads – one Israeli, one “Palestinian,” with their young
daughters.  The ad copy: “Be on our side.  We’re on the side of peace
and Justice.  End U.S. military aid to Israel.” In other words, American
tax dollars is being used to support Israeli militancy and injustice. 
These ads ran in 18 NYC subway stops for a month, in Manhattan,
Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.

That same month, Geller’s organization, AFDI, submitted the
anti-Jihad ad.  The MTA refused to run it, claiming the ad violated its
advertising standards because it “demeans[s] an individual or group of
individuals.”  AFDI claimed that rejection violated the U.S.
Constitution. On September 227, 2011, AFDI, Pamela Geller, and AFDI’s 
associate director, Robert Spencer, filed suit against the MTA claiming
that the transit agency’s no-demeaning standard constitutes “viewpoint
discrimination” and is unconstitutional and therefore the MTA’s
rejection of AFDI’s ad unlawfully restricted their free speech.

September 2012, New York

On July 20, 2012, Judge Englemayer, the federal district court judge
in New York before whom the matter was heard, ruled that the MTA’s 
prohibition on “demeaning” language is unconstitutional and the ad must
run.  Significantly, the court ruled that

the AFDI Ad is not only protected speech—it is core
political speech. The Ad expresses AFDI’s pro-Israel perspective on the
Israeli/Palestinian conflict in the Middle East, and implicitly calls
for a pro-Israel U.S. foreign policy with regard to that conflict. The
AFDI Ad is, further, a form of response to political ads on the same
subject that have appeared in the same space.   As such, the AFDI Ad is
afforded the highest level of protection under the First Amendment.

While AFDI was the victor in the case, Judge Engelmayer threw more than a few crumbs to the ad’s opponents.

For example, there was a fundamental disagreement over the use of the
term “savage” – Geller claims it refers only to those committing acts
of barbarism against innocent victims in the name of Islam.  Judge
Englemayer, however, held that a reasonable person could conclude the
term referred simply to Muslims.

What’s more, the judge practically wrote a recipe for the MTA to
follow for rewriting its advertising policy so that a ban on an ad like
AFDI’s could, in the future be upheld by a court.

But it would be wrong to conclude that while AFDI may have won the
(legal) battle, it lost the war, because AFDI’s ad was specifically
created to counter anti-Israel ads.  If there is an MTA policy that
constitutionally prohibits AFDI-like ads, presumably it will also cover
anti-Israel ads.  If not, AFDI will surely respond with another counter
to any such permissible anti-Israel ads.

AFDI’s ads began running today, as the MTA conceded that under its
“existing ad standards as modified by the injunction, the MTA is
required to run the ad.”  However, there were numerous reports that the
MTA is planning on revising its standards in an executive sessions
scheduled for this week.

San Francisco, August – September, 2012

The San Francisco Bay Area Transit system also played host last year
to ads that called for an end to U.S. aid to Israel, claiming Israel to
be unfair and unjust.  AFDI’s anti-Jihad ads began running on the sides
of buses in San Francisco on August 7, at least in part based on the New
York federal judge’s July 20 decision.

However, two things have since happened.  First, the San Francisco
Municipal Transportation Agency announced it will give all of the
proceeds from AFDI’s ads to the San Francisco Human Rights Commission to
support “educational activities.”  Secondly, although the Muni is
apparently convinced that banning AFDI’s ads would violate the First
Amendment, yesterday it began Atlas Shrugs,

a first in outdoor advertising history, next to our
pro-freedom, anti-jihad ads. Their disclaimer reads: “SFMTA Policy
Prohibits Discrimination Based On National Origin, Religion and Other
Characteristics and Condemns Statements That Describe Any Group As Savages.” Really?
Were the Nazis savages? The Taliban? Hamas? Al Qaeda? Boko Haram?
Daniel Pearl’s beheaders? The Fogel family’s cold blooded murderers?

Never one to rest on her laurels, Geller’s AFDI immediately responded
with ads placed on the sides of San Francisco buses stating: “Why is
the city of San Francisco enforcing Sharia law?  San Francisco is
running disclaimers next to our pro-Israel ads. Why didn’t they run them
next to vicious anti-Israel ads? Stop Anti-Semitism in San Francisco
government.”

Washington, D.C., September 2012

Washington, D.C. is another transit system in which anti-Israel ads
ran last year.  AFDI chose to run its anti-Jihad ad in the District, and
on September 6 entered into a contract with the Washington Metropolitan
Area Transit Authority to run the ad beginning on September 24.
However, on September 18, Geller was contacted and informed that “due to
the situations happening around the world at this time, we are
postponing the start of this program to a future date to be determined.”

The “situations happening around the world” are the violent riots by
Muslims which were set off, some claim, by the airing on YouTube of the
video, “The Innocence of Muslims.”  That video depicts the Islamic
prophet Mohammed as a pedophile and a violence-loving man which is
considered blasphemy by strict Muslims.

Although the WMATA is refusing to run the ads, out of “concern for
public safety,” the New York City police department spokesperson Paul
Browne told a reporter that they “were not anticipating adding any
security” to the subways while the ads are up, and that they had “not
received any threats or reports of violence relating to them.”

On September 20, AFDI brought a lawsuit seeking an injunction action
by the federal district court in Washington, D.C. to require the transit
authority to run her ads now, during the time period in which they were
contracted to be run. Once again, AFDI’s attorneys are claiming
viewpoint discrimination, a classic violation of the First Amendment. 
AFDI’s Complaint against the WAMTA states:

The WMATA’s speech restriction is based on the perceived
negative response that Plaintiffs’ message might receive from certain
viewers based on its content and viewpoint. However, a viewer’s reaction
to speech is not a content-neutral basis for regulation. This is known
as a “heckler’s veto,” which is impermissible under the First Amendment.

When asked for a comment on the controversy, Eugene Kontorovich, a
professor at Northwestern University Law school and an expert in
constitutional and international law, had this to say:

The DC Metro is obviously trying to avoid trouble by
granting foreign extremists a veto on American speech. They also seem to
be using the flimsy pretext that anti-American riots are linked to
particular speech by Americans to try to override the First Amendment.

So here is the lineup on Monday, September 24, 2012.

You must read the whole thing.

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Chris

11 years ago

These people do not want, nor do they understand what free speech is. All they want is control and for people to do what they say when they say it. A pox on them!

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Brandy

11 years ago

So, if their reasoning for not running your ads now is “situations happening around the world” then presumably they could use that excuse for as along as the savages riot against the U.S. and that could be a long, long time. Flimsy reason and I believe a judge will not uphold it.
Kudos for filing!! Free speech will always win!

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Najis Kuffar

11 years ago

Dhimmi South Yorkshire Police deny hiding Islamic pedophile networks
A police force has denied withholding information about the scale of sexual exploitation of girls by gangs of men in South Yorkshire.
The county’s force was responding after The Times said confidential police reports referred to widespread abuse of girls by Asian men.
Rotherham MP Denis MacShane said police kept secret the abuse from politicians.
South Yorkshire Police said the suggestion it was reluctant to tackle child sexual abuse was wrong.
In November 2010, five Rotherham men were jailed for sexual offences against under-age girls.
Labour MP Mr MacShane said on Monday: “The Rotherham police exposed, arrested and broke up an evil gang of internal traffickers who were sent to prison.
“But it is clear that the internal trafficking of barely pubescent girls is much more widespread and I regret that the police did not tell Yorkshire MPs about their inquiries.”
The investigation by The Times – with access to confidential documents from the police intelligence bureau, social services and other organisations – alleges widespread abuse.
‘
The newspaper said a confidential 2010 report by the Police Intelligence Bureau detailed “a significant problem with networks of Asian males exploiting young white females, particularly in Rotherham and Sheffield”.
The paper claimed that in another confidential report in 2010 from Rotherham Safeguarding Children Board “there are sensitivities of ethnicity with potential to endanger the harmony of community relationships”.
Mr MacShane said the sexual violation and commercial exploitation of young girls by older men was a “growing problem and needs far more public policy attention”.
In a statement, the force said: “South Yorkshire Police is recognised as leading the way on what is now being recognised nationally as a problem and to suggest that the force and its partners are deliberately withholding information on the issue is a gross distortion and unfair on the teams of dedicated specialists working to tackle the problem.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-19701760

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Fred and Ethel Mertz

11 years ago

Good. Now the screw-loose leftoids and Islamofascists can just read this article to get some context. The whole OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, SHE SAID “SAVAGE!” was BS. Sorry, Islamo savage type dudes, we have free speech here. I know your working on that though…

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Mare

11 years ago

I think the people who criticize and demonize another person’s right to free speech are doing it because they are snivelling cowards. They are scared out of their wits to dare to say anything derogatory about Islam or the Muslims. They really should paint themselves yellow because they are pathetic yellow bellied cowards and should be put to shame for their cowardice. These are the same people who would run the other way if Muslims came to attack them, instead of standing up and fighting to protect their country and their families.
We should have special prisons to keep these traitors in. Oh yes…and their cowardice is only exaggerated by their incredible naivety.
There now…..I’ve used my free speech and don’t regret one word I’ve said.

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Beagle

11 years ago

The official position seems to be that a group of savages cannot be called savages. Which is to say the word cannot be used in any context. I don’t have the latest IngSoc Dictionary, so I figured calling a religious warfare doctrine savage was accurate if not perfectly proper.
I wish this fight was over the term “Islamic supremacist” or “Islamic imperialist.” I don’t have much use for savage anyway.

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aprilnovember811

11 years ago

This might help them understand. Speed up to 8:47. Walid Shoebat and his son.
http://youtu.be/kKnFHOBb5gg

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fern

11 years ago

Good. Some sanity at last.

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fatherofasoldier

11 years ago

The assholes in San Francisco will not understand even if they were to be hit the way NY was hit. As one of the gay capitals of the world, the citizens of the City by the Bay are clueless as to what the jihadists have in store for them. Remember the Iranian Hitler saying in an interview that there are no homosexuals in Iran. That is because they kill them and this is true throughout the Muslim world. It is simple if it walks like a duck or it should be if it acts like a savage it must be a savage. These people in SF should go live in Teheran and see how long they will breathe.
The add is mild. San Francisco should secede from the U.S. We have enough enemies without our own citizens acting that way. Asshole doesn’t begin to describe the fools who live there..

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ParahSalin

11 years ago

Someone edited Wikipedia’s page on the SFMTA, located at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Municipal_Transportation_Agency
with the following (under the “Trivia” section).
* As a matter of policy, SFMTA does not consider Islamic terrorism / Jihad to be savage, and publicly defends Jihadists from such claims. {{Citation
| title = SFMTA policy condemns statements that describe any group as savages
| url = http://www.jewishpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/SanFranSuckup-Ads.jpg
| year = 2012
| title = SFMTA policy condemns statements that describe any group as savages
| author = SFMTA
| accessdate = 2012-09-24
}}
Let’s all keep an eye on the page and replace the wiki code as soon as the PC police remove it.

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Sharon Kahn

11 years ago

I’m sorry, but as an American, a Jew and a Zionist I find this ad to be contrary to the interests of America and of Israel, and contrary to the spirit of Judaism. This ad is plain and simple war mongering.

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Tom

11 years ago

A prime example of the social engineering done through the media.”Don’t call the people who want to take over the world through jihad savages” Could the rest of America and the world please wake up,pull your head out of the sand and finally understand that when the muslims say they want to kill us, they mean it. The poster is excellent, hope it shocks some back to reality.

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Covadonga

11 years ago

Trying to remove boldface…

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Covadonga

11 years ago

again…

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Covadonga

11 years ago

once more…

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Covadonga

11 years ago

…

0

Covadonga

11 years ago

…

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Covadonga

11 years ago

Ok, sorry for the interruption.
I’m stumped on the boldface issue.

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