It appears that Pastor Terry Jones has decided that burning Qur’ans is a bad idea. While this is good news Jim West wonders if this will lead to “lunatic clerics all across the country…seeking publicity too”. I worry about this as well. Since Jones made it onto big time TV why shouldn’t others follow his model? Personally, I think our media outlets made a mistake by covering these shenanigans. I hope that if anyone else makes an attention-grabbing move like the one Jones made that media agencies will make an ethical decision not to provide the sought after attention.
I wonder when it is the right time to simply ignore the antics of wackos? When I lived in San Francisco I saw plenty of nut jobs doing all kinds of silly things to gain attention. What frustrated them more than anything was when you refused to look. I am not sure if this will always work, and I don’t have guidelines for how to make it happen, but I do think it is something we need to think about before another Terry Jones pops up on the nightly news.
the archives near Emmaus 
Brian, maybe it’s just my age but I’m sick and tired of wackos, and religious zealots for wrong causes. I tend to just ignore them and not give them any attention. We create the platform in which they tend to flourish in. Like our buddy that you had to ban, my position now a days is why bother?
I do think that we are sometimes forced to make a reposnse so that the world does not think that our silence is some sort of approval, but beyond that I don’t think it merits the sort of attention that Terry Jones received.
Robert,
I agree with you. Terry Jones deserved backlash from the Christian community because the last thing the world needs to think is that he has been OK’d to speak for Christianity, but most nut jobs should be ignored or giggled at.
I tried to share some stirring thoughts here that I don’t believe have been considered all too much. But you guys picked up on some of my thoughts as you pondered the over-done coverage of the media.
oops