Freedom of Speech

For all our problems here in the US, I am still very thankful this is where I live. I admit I am not a fan of the current administration, and had a good chuckle over the recent exhibit in the New York Public Library. The "portraits" showing George W. Bush and others Photo-Shopped into mugshots are the work of Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese. And, of course, the photos have been condemned by the Republican party, stating that it might somehow harm students walking the halls of the library.

But, in the midst of the controversy over some political spoofs of our country's leaders, there is another story that got my attention. On the other side of the planet, a school teacher was imprisoned and will be deported just because she named a teddy-bear Muhammed. Gillian Gibbons could have received 40 lashes and six months in prison in the case if found guilty of the more serious charge of inciting religious hatred. Hmmm....