Mark Steyn: ‘Ondaatje is the guy who wrote The English Patient. He’s not the only bigshot pulling out’

Mark Steyn writes:

A few years ago, during my battles with Canada’s “human rights” commissions and the Canadian Islamic Congress, Ken Whyte, the publisher of Maclean’s, called me up and asked if I could see my way to coming to Ottawa for some “world press freedom” thing. I said I was a misanthropic type who lived in a cave in New Hampshire precisely in order to avoid having to go to these kinds of events. But Ken said the committee were very anxious to salute us for standing up for freedom of speech and all that, so I said yes, and Maclean’s paid big bucks for a table, and starry colleagues like Paul Wells and my editor Diane de Gayardon de Fenoyl and the rest of the gang were corralled into showing up. And lo and behold, come the big day, the committee decided to salute some other fellows entirely. Afterwards, I was chit-chatting with one of the grandees when someone came up and asked him what it would have taken for them to honor me and Maclean’s. And he looked thoughtful and said, with an amused twinkle, “Well, maybe if the Muslims killed Mark…”

I’m glad no one took him up on the offer. As we now know, for Michael Ondaatje, Garry Trudeau and many more, even that won’t do it.

Brian Lilley talks about that cocksucker Ondaatje’s cowardly “act” (although not in those words, obviously):

A couple of points here.

1. Why does the story, which is actually copy from Associated Press, use the term, “the Prophet Muhammad?”

I don’t think AP is in the habit of writing, “the Lord Jesus Christ.” Maybe I’m wrong but I doubt it.

2. Aren’t writers supposed to be about free speech?

You don’t have to agree with what Charlie Hebdo wrote in order to support their right to free speech or them receiving the award.

There’s lots to be uncomfortable with when it comes to Charlie Hebdo‘s depictions of all kinds of people, it is a satirical magazine that pushes the envelope constantly. But I’m more concerned with the reaction of the terrorists that burst through the doors and shot editors, writers and cartoonists for daring the say something they didn’t like about their religion.