Something terribly important has been missing from discussions orbiting around the Mohammed cartoons. It's a simple point, but one whose recognition is utterly crucial to the functioning of a healthy democratic society. The avoidance of it is, I'm afraid, even by those libertarians who defend the cartoons' publication, a measure of extent to which theocracy has advanced both in the US and abroad.

What's been missing has been an acknowledgment that blasphemy isn't just something that must be tolerated. It's something that possesses a special political value of its own. Blasphemy, in short, is a good thing. It's something admirable, noble, and, yes, even respectable. Why have we forgotten this?

The Righteousness of Blasphemy
By Peter Fosl