Saturday, March 04, 2006

Crow Chutney

Must begin with what I believe is grounds for a retraction on my previous posting. I was all over the Bush in South Asia program. I read many of the online papers and gobbled up tons of images that poured from the event. Yes, even the "Kill Bush" image.
This is the point I sought to retract. At least, I shall judge this in need of retraction with the same faith I had put into the source's veracity. It was a news feed. Simply that. An image along with many others that accompanied the US president in India - protests that were taking place all across India.
This is where today's venting comes from. The image was cropped so that "Kill Bush" was clearly evident. Checking out the hundreds of others showed none of the same. They did, however, show countless images of "Killer Bush." That, my friend, is merely free speech - an expression of inference, not expression of intent.
The protests were anti-US, anti-Bush, anti-globalization and anti-capitalism. What they weren't were calls for execution (albeit there were burnings in effigy). They were not incitements to riot (albeit violence did occur). They were still, clearly, filled to the brim with intolerance. But, you know what? Free speech is kinda like that - all messy and pointed and putting people on edge sometimes.
I feel much better about India today.

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