I sympathize, but you're wrong!

Submitted by J. Berkowicz (United States), Aug 15, 2005 at 11:04

Its difficult but I must disagree with your point here. One should not a priori prevent these people from appearing on television, even though there is danger. However, they should not be permitted to dominate the shows upon which they appear; they should be countered on the same shows by those--like yourself--who are qualified to refute them and to expose them...

This is the appropriate way that the TV executives should approach the problem. Neither fearfully allowing terrorists to intimidate the interviewers or other panelists on a show, nor fearfully keeping them off the air, is the answer, but bravely and aggressively refuting them and ridiculing them face-to-face on air is. Unfortunately, it is only a rare and extremely quick-thinking and forceful speaker who is able to do that. In addition, these Islamic extremists--or any other terrorists--should themselves live under the constant fear that if any of their on-air words can be reasonably be interpreted as inciting religious or racial hatred, or of violence towards US citizens or its government, they will be quickly be arrested and, if found guilty, dispatched to long-term jail stays with alacrity. Those who were born overseas should just as promptly be deported! That's the government's part in all this (as opposed to the grandiose but largely worthless pronouncements of the excuse for an Washington administration we now suffer under).

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