Those cartoons keep on giving offense and fear

Will they ever get over those darned cartoons?

Last month one of the Danish newspapers that in 2008 reprinted a cartoon by Kurt Westergaard depicting Muhammad with a bomb in his turban apologized in the face of a threat of litigation by a Saudi lawyer.

A couple of days ago 38 staffers of that newspaper, Politiken, published a letter rejecting the apology.

"The settlement gives the impression that we regret our journalism, something there is no basis for whatsoever," they wrote, saying they fear the settlement could interfere with their editorial freedom.

Today Irish police arrested seven people suspected of plotting to kill a Swedish cartoonist, Lars Vilks, who drew Muhammed with the body of a dog.

The cartoons, first published in 2005 by Jyllands-Posten, have resulted in deaths, riots, boycotts and arson. A dozen Danish papers republished the cartoons in 2008 when new death threats were revealed.

Yale University Press published a book called “The Cartoons That Shook the World,” but declined to include any of the cartoons.

The intimidation has cowed many who rightly fear the irrational, homicidal adherents to a belief that any presumed affront is justification for violence.