Leave it up, Charlie!

Oh, to have been so (deliberately) misunderstood.

Like most people who weighed in with thoughts about the Charlie Sykes’ "Pure Genius" post, I never suggested it should be removed from 620 WTMJ’s web site, or that he didn’t have the right to compose and post whatever ignorant, hateful drivel he fancied.

I didn’t even suggest he apologize.

I didn’t agree with it. I found the imagery offensive and the commentary vicious—particularly the remarks left by readers.

But, and I really can’t stress this enough, I want Sykes to leave that post intact. I want everyone to know what he considers“pure genius.”

Please, leave it up.

And, under no circumstances, should Sykes remove the "Drawing the Line" post he offers as his rationale for treating a legitimate request for civility as an “obscene” attempt to erode American liberty.

Otherwise, how would we know how willing he is to misrepresent the principles of the First Amendment to suit his own ends? Or that he’s counting on his audience to believe that a request to reconsider the content of his post is an infringement on his right to free expression under the Constitution.

Please, don’t change a thing.

If these items were deleted, how would the public be able to reflect on Sykes’ stunning lack of accountability? How would anyone know just how far WTMJ is willing to go in catering to religious bigotry, xenophobia, and jingoism to turn a buck?

And if the comments accompanying the posts are removed, we would be denied our opportunity to witness Sykes’ minions tell us how “everybody else is doing it,” instead of conceding that maybe, just maybe, swapping the Star of David with a Swastika is deeply disturbing under any circumstances.

And finally, if the posts and comments are removed, we might forget that even now, over five years after 9/11, so many refuse to differentiate terrorists from those who practice Islam.

Don’t deny us, Charlie. Let the post stand.

See, too, James Rowen and Monsieur Brawler.