It seems like history, especially religion, repeats itself. I'm learning about the crusades right now and I just see this fundamental hypocrisy in much of religion. People think they are on some divine mission for their religion, that they are the chosen ones that must protest this oppression that God has placed for some test, when that has to be the least important thing mentioned in any doctrine. Too often do people try to change the problems in others when they themselves are blind to their own. If people just "cultivated their own garden" the world would be a much better place. On a side note, Pamela Geller, the woman defending the the poster, is a devout Ayn Rand follower who has a very famous blog called "Atlas Shrugs."
Interesting about the Ayn Rand thing. Rand was Jewish, but I don't know her stance on Israel (can anyone shed some light?). But she was a devout atheist, and thought religion represented weakness. Its funny that her philosophy has morphed into a religion of its own, and is taken most seriously by religious people, whom she detested. Its fun to watch Paul Ryan talk about how he simultaneously loves and hate Rand, doublespeak at its best.
http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=media_americ... Wow. Pamela Gelleter seems to quote her advertisement from Ayn Rand:" When you have civilized men fighting savages, you support the civilized men." This is actually kind of disturbing. Ayn Rand's influence is way too subtle and prevalent.