The good news: this site has started a whole page that compiles cat news from throughout the world.

The bad news: It’s at HuffPo

And, HuffPo being what it is, they include dogs on the page.  It’s the same thing they do on the “science” page, putting in irrelevant things that might catch the attention of someone passing by.

How can I stay away, though? They included this awesome Russian video of a cat and a dog battling over a cheeseburger.

But more bad news: the outcome is completely unrealistic.

Oh, and there’s a new video of everyone’s favorite tubby tabby, Maru, wedging himself into another too-small box:

And more cognitive dissonance: over at the “Religion” section, HuffPo has an article by one Professor Sahar Aziz of The Texas Wesleyan School of Law, taking Americans to task for anti-Islamic gestures like the Qur’an burning of Pastor Terry Jones, and calling for condemnation of such bigotry. As I mentioned yesterday, one can attack a religion without attacking all of its adherents. I, like many atheist writers, have already condemned Terry Jones, but I strongly defend his right to burn Qur’ans. Further, I agree with Aziz that Americans should counter attempts to suppress religion or erode the rights of those whose faiths we dislike.

But in her whole article she completely fails to condemn the murderous thugs who have not only attacked people and embassies because of some badly-made film, and previously flew planes into buildings, bombed nightclubs, and engaged in other attempts to murder innocent people in the name of the Religon of Peace. Whose fault is that? According to Azia, ours:

Many Americans fail to appreciate that this inflammatory video is not viewed by Muslims abroad in a vacuum. Indeed, it follows on the heels of a Quran-burning by a radical Christian pastor in Florida, urination on Qurans by U.S. troops, opposition to mosque building across the United States, police surveillance of Muslim students and mosque-goers across the East Coast, and offensive campaign rhetoric accusing American Muslims en masse of disloyalty — all of which contradict America’s proclaimed values of religious freedom, equal protection, and respect for diversity.

Religious freedom, of course, includes the freedom to criticize religion, no matter how vile or strident that criticism may be. Aziz continues:

Thus, Muslims abroad do not view the American-made hate film as merely an expressive act by a lone actor protected by the First Amendment. Rather it is part of a broader American assault on the Islamic faith wherein Muslims are expected to take it on the chin and smile.

Coupled with the dearth of videos, speeches, and public acts by average Americans proclaiming their respect for Islam and their acceptance of Muslims as equal compatriots, Muslims abroad are left questioning whether defense of free speech is pretext for condoning bigotry. For if all you hear and see from America is hateful speech, selective targeting and counterterrorism enforcement against Muslims, and shameless Muslim-bashing by politicians, then calls to protect freedom of speech unsurprisingly fall on deaf ears.

No, Muslims don’t have to take it on the chin and smile.  They can counter anti-Islamic speech with their own speech, and match Qur’an burnings with American flag burnings. And I don’t care whether Muslims question whether defense of free speech is pretext for condoning bigotry. Free speech can indeed be a blanket for bigotry, but if we don’t protect the rights of bigots, we can’t protect the rights of anyone.  Besides, Muslims don’t object when their own countries regularly portray Jews as money-grubbing killers of Christians.  That is government-sponsored condoning of bigotry. No problem with that in the Middle East!

And it’s one thing to have deaf ears, another thing entirely to sever someone’s head with a knife.  Aziz doesn’t seem to recognize this distinction when she piles all the blame on people like Terry Jones. In her haste to blame Muslim anger on America, she says only one brief sentence about the violence engendered by that anger:

When a Muslim terrorist attempts to harm Americans or burns an American flag, should Muslims in America publicly condemn such acts or can they assume that the guilt of one will not be imputed onto the entire religion?

Attempts to harm Americans? Attempts?  No, they’re not just attempts, they’re successful attempts, and offended Muslims are not just killing Americans. Have a look (scroll down) at this list of Islamic terrorist attacks, and note the variety of nations that have been victimized.

Frankly, I don’t care about Muslims burning American flags. Let a million flags burn, and let Americans burn them too. It’s only a piece of cloth, and that’s not the same thing as a piece of flesh. When you destroy a flag, there is not a network of friends and family left to mourn the loss.

Apologists like Aziz make me ill. The first commenter on her piece is right:

Given the disrespect paid to Judaism and its symbols throughout the Islamic world day in day out, I think Muslims should do some introspection and change from within before demanding anyone else make any changes.

There aren’t too many occurrences of Christians and Jews burning down the embassies and consulates of Muslim countries.

Has Aziz forgotten about “the broader Islamic assault on the Jewish and Christian faiths wherein Jews and Christians are expected to take it on the chin and smile”? We respond with words, Muslims with swords.