Dear Editor,

I am writing in regards to your staff editorial in the Sept. 20 edition, entitled Outraged about films, concerning the film The Innocence of Muslims and the backlash it has incurred throughout the Islamic world.

I would like to emphasize a brief point you made that merits more attention. That is, that at least four people have been killed over this film. That is killed, as in K-I-L-L-E-D, murdered. Not injured, not maimed, not psychologically scarred, but killed. Four individuals lives have been prematurely terminated as a direct result of someones offense to a film.

If you havent seen this film yet, I encourage you to do so a cursory YouTube search will get you there.

With horrible acting, worse writing, crappy green-screening and sets that look like the inside of a wet cardboard box, it is the best unintentional ironic romp of the season.

To any sane man it is obvious that this film was either made by a) a child or b) a cognitively stunted adult. That is, unless one is a cognitively stunted adult, and, dare I say, the Islamic world seems to be boasting a fair deal of cognitively stunted adults these days. Note: cognitively stunted adult here refers to an idiot.

And while I am aware that the brunt of the protest levied against The Innocence of Muslims is not in regards to its message but rather concerning its depiction of the prophet Mohammed, which is clearly prohibited in accordance with the teachings of the Quran, that doesnt make the protest any less idiotic or irrational.

Living your life by the teachings of a 1,300-year-old book, written by a group of zealous, warring, irrational men, is neither intelligent nor relevant in todays rational world, and it most certainly does not give one the freedom to end anothers life in response to ones personal offense or creed.

In summation, freedom of speech is a highly protected right for good reason. It grants the ability to dissent and opens a discourse on topics which otherwise may stay closed due to public opinion, keeping the people from recessing into cultural bigotry and ignorance. You dont have to like what I say, but that does not give you the right to kill me for saying it.

Sincerely,

Tony Yasi

Class of 2014