The guy was innocent. I saw Obama's response and I find it horrible. Why doesn't he unequivocally defend the freedom of speech? It's fine he denounces denigration of religious beliefs, but that should be reserved for a different time and place. It suggests that insulting the Prophet somehow justifies killing innocent people. The people who did this have to be identified and brought to justice. Those who resist being brought to justice, should be shot. I don't see how this is any different than it was 100 years ago.

Let's see. It was an Israeli who wrote, directed, and produced the movie that triggered the riots. I say bomb the fuck out of Israel and show support to Islam. Then maybe they'll stop equating America with those bastard genocidal freaks in Israel who won't be happy until Israel owns all of the Middle East.

Freedom of speech? This was an Israeli in Israel. Quite putting your Americentric views on other nations. The Islamic people have a right to be offended by that movie (I saw the trailer, it sucked in more ways that just being offensive religiously) and there is no freedom of speech in the Middle East.

Let's kill em all! Then we'll feel super powerful!

Seriously... Foreign policy JUST became part of the debate? What rock are you hiding under?

That was awkward when thatwasawkward pointed out the obvious.

Don't we have Marines at each embassy? What good are they if they let our AMBASSADOR get killed? Start ordering shoot-to-kill for anyone who tries storming our embassy because frankly this is getting ridiculous. Ever since Iran, its become "Ok" to storm US embassies when you're pissed off at something vaguely relating to the US, because we won't do shit about it. Kill the first fuckers coming over the walls and then the rest might think twice.

And realistically, the ambassador and other state department officials were killed in riots. An apology from Libya to the US and to their families should be sufficient for this incident. Yes, some folks died. I feel for their families. But vengeance is never the answer.

@gf - He was killed enroute to a new location. Didn't you bother to fucking read the story?

^^please replace "Storm" with "Attack"

They really need an edit option...

Draug - read why he was moving to a new location and then maybe my post will make more sense. If the Marines actually had the ability to mow down an angry crowd who tries to break into the embassy, he wouldn't have been running away.

Bullshit. They still would have move dhim. And placing this on Iran? How old are you? Don't you remember the fall of Saigon?

I, too, believe that military actions on civilians in foreign countries have no diplomatic repercussions whatsoever, because:

Bullshit, if they're invading the U.S. embassy, they're in OUR country. And not just Iran, Draugnar. Cyprus, Lebanon, Afghanistan have all been sacked and the ambassadors killed. Our embassy in Egypt was also overrun yesterday. Britain's embassy in Iran, I believe, was burned to the ground earlier this year. We have to send a message telling the Arab world that its not ok to break into our embassies. And have you ever been to one of our embassies, Draug? They're fuckin mini-fortresses. 50 Marines (like they're sending to Benghazi now) and I'd feel quite safe unless civilians come in with heavy weapons.

Also, where were the Libyan police? And in Cairo, where were the Egyptian police? This is such bullshit.

You said it started with Iran. I'm sayingf it started with Vietnam and the fall of Saigon. And there is only so many people a small detachment of Marines can kill at a time. They don't keep 50 men on the walls like in Guantanamo Bay.

I am very confused. Maybe I missed it, but where exactly did Obama say that Americans deserve to die for insulting Islam?

I think this episode just reinforces this is a clash of civilizations. We will never win the "hearts and minds".

Further, the Arab Spring was not something beneficial to liberalism (small l, basic human rights, limited gov. etc.)

yeah, those police states were so much more beneficial to liberalism :rolleyes

I guess we should thank Obama again for the "Arab Spring". Seems we made close friends in Egypt and Libya by assisting the radical Islamists in their pursuit of power.

Of course, in Jihad, you use your enemy, you appease him when it is time to rebuild...but your enemy is always your enemy. These two incidents were just another spar in the never-ending religious wars. which is why when I see morons with "co-exist" bumper stickers I want them to buy an extra and try to stick in the bomb-vest of the next radical getting ready to blow up the infidel...

The complete lack of understanding of Middle-Eastern/Islamic culture in this country guarantees such incidents will *never* end...even with The One in the White House who was to bring peace to the world and lower the oceans (which I never quite understood...)

@Sword, I don't say that he says that at all, but the source of my annoyance is this:

"While the United States rejects efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others, we must all unequivocally oppose the kind of senseless violence that took the lives of these public servants"

Well, then unequivocally oppose it and mention the religious beliefs thing in another speech. If people make a movie you don't like, then change the fricking channel, don't go around and feel "insulted" and everything.

@Goldfinger: "Don't we have Marines at each embassy? What good are they if they let our AMBASSADOR get killed? Start ordering shoot-to-kill for anyone who tries storming our embassy because frankly this is getting ridiculous."

YES, that will really help.

This is exactly the kind of ridiculous knee-jerk reaction that would cause so many more problems and help in absolutely no way at all.

You think that a handful of marines shooting at a crowd of Muslims protesting against the defamation of their God is really the best answer to such a clearly volatile and escalating situation?

From all accounts there was over a hundred, if not many more, protesters, the marines would not be able to shoot people down indefinitely and when they ran out of bullets or whatever, they would have nowhere to go and would be set upon quite nastily. Bad situation for the marines and bad situation for America, with another headline parading how cavalier the US is with the lives of other nationalities.

More violence can never be the best answer to violence.

I completely agree with goldfinger on this one.

Anyone who is on embassy or consulate grounds without permission should immediately get two in the chest and one in the head. Period.

And killing (or allowing the killing of) an ambassador is an act of war. The Libyans have some explaining to do before we send in the B-52s just to make a point.

"The only American country safe from a coup d'état is the USA, because it doesn't have an American embassy." (Rafael Correa, Ecuador president)

The US virtually rules the world, so its embassies are like a magnet for all kinds of aggressive behavior. Get used to it.

"The Libyans have some explaining to do before we send in the B-52s just to make a point."

Gunboat diplomacy. Cool! No in-game messaging,

@cspieker at least the police states allowed minority groups to exist and practice their religion. Check out what is happening to Chrisitans in Egypt right now.

If I had the power I would have no problem withdrawing and shutting off aid to those countries. It is clear financial aid to these countries is not winning "hearts and minds" merely serving as a bribe. From all these countries that are hostile in thought OR action, bring the troops home, bring the diplomats home. But couple that with a promise of a strong attack in retaliation for any attack on us.

The threat of nukes worked for the Soviet Union (and that was mutual). They take out things we consider important ot us we take out what they feel is important. If that means turning religious sites into glass than so be it. They only listen to force and deeds not idealism and words.

What the fuck is wrong with the idiots that stormed the embassy? In what frame of mind can the notion of killing someone because someone else completely unrelated said some meany bad things that huwt my feewings about my deity make ANY sense to ANYONE?

So sick of backwater savages doing horrible things in the name of their god.

+1 Eden

It's a pathetic, tiny god that can't handle being mocked by an amateur movie that nobody has seen.

There is only one response to this: we demand the local governments find and hand over the perpetrators, and we cut off all aid to those countries. If they don't comply, we hold the leaders of the countries responsible.

You guys are ridiculous. It's obviously an international power game where these gods, liberties of speech, savages and embassies are just pretexts. Would you discuss the virtues and sins of this or that pawn in a chess game?