At Balloon Juice, John Cole – a better writer than me (not a high bar, I confess) — puts words to my sentiments:

[I]f one more motherfucker tells me that unless I stand up and yell “You go girl” every time Pam Geller opens her noxious piehole to spew venom that I am responsible for creeping Sharia and am a hopeless “dhimmi,” I’m going to kick them in the junk with a freedom boot. No, we don’t all have to stand up and provoke crazy people just to prove a point or to be assholes or to further freedom or whatever bullshit you want to peddle. I don’t have to pretend that a bunch of snotty French cartoonists shitting all over people is some sort of heroic endeavor worthy of an award or my complete admiration. You drew a cartoon intending on pissing off crazy people. Congratulations, you pissed off some crazy murderous psychos who reacted predictably. WOO- You! WTF did you think was going to happen? Now, exactly how have you advanced the cause of freedom? And yes, it is horrible that those scumbags murdered people. But are you surprised and what exactly did you accomplish?

I don’t have to pretend that because Geller provoked some loathsome creeps into attacking her backwoods hick hatefest, the first amendment is on the brink of falling and that I’m going to be praying five times a day at gunpoint by next week. Yes, legally, her free speech is protected by the Constitution, but that doesn’t mean I have to act shocked or surprised when some assholes want her dead and it doesn’t mean free speech as we know it is dying. That’s not being a pussy or bowing to the TERRAHRISTS, it’s just common sense. I don’t walk down the street calling women whores and sluts because I don’t want to get slapped in the face. I don’t run around and shit all over religious people just because I can even though I think it’s all just elaborate myths and folklore.

Just because you have first amendment rights guaranteed by the Constitution doesn’t mean that actions don’t have consequences. Crazy people react… crazily. Saying obnoxious things can have real world consequences. Pointing that out doesn’t make me a wimp or a coward, it makes me sentient. But, by all means, if you disagree, march on in to your boss’s office tomorrow and tell her/him to go fuck themselves and that you slept with their spouse. Don’t forget to demand your 1st Amendment rights after s/he fires you.

If blog posts could drop mics…. this one would.