Steven Spielberg's Munich questions the right of Israel to deter terrorist attacks by eliminating the perpetrators.  But what about an issue closer to home?  Theo van Gogh was a movie director and carried a name famous in the history of Western art.  He was murdered in Amsterdam by a Muslim radical because of his making the film Submission, not incidental to his role as a director. 

To a civilian, it would seem that this attack on artistic freedom in the most brutal way possible would call forth some show of solidarity from the artistic, particularly the movie, community, but in the year since van Gogh's murder, no such support has been evidenced.  Van Gogh's murder for cause would seem to be a more direct threat to the artistic community than whatever imagined misdeeds are being committed by Bushitlerburton (nod to Mark Steyn on this formulation). 

Or perhaps the strategy of the movie community will be to beg for its life just before having its throat slit, as happened to Mr. van Gogh.  Should we lose the war or terror — which we won't — does Hollywood imagine that it would be spared?  It wouldn't if it has read Sayyid Qutb.

Greg Richards  1  12 06