Can I shout "fire" in a crowded theate as a joke? Could I drag apig's head through a synagog? Can I draw yellow stars of David on Jewish owned shops? Can I demand the right to daub swastikas on the gates of Auswitz?

No, you cannot shout "Fire!" in a crowded theater, because you would be putting other people's lives in danger, thus violating their rights.

You can, however, drag a pig's head through a synagog, if you own the synagog.  That would make it your property and not that of the followers.  You cannot draw yellow stars on Jewish-owned businesses, because you don't own them and, if you did so, those Jewish people would have the right to sue you and possibly seek prosecution.

Again, you, of course, cannot daub swastikas on the gates of Auschwitz, because you don't own it.  It does raise an interesting question, though:

Can I paint offensive material on the outside of my own house?  My answer is a resounding "No!"  Here's why:

Even if you were doing so on the walls of the outside of your own home, you would still be violating the basic rights of others, because you would then have assaulted others by dragging down their property values, to say nothing of the possible prosecution for inciting violence (in the case of swastikas).

You're more than welcome to argue that Jesus fucked his own mother, and I'm sure it would be used by many Southerners to justify sleeping with their cousins.  (I know, I know.  Low blow.)  And I encourage you to publish a comic showing Jesus raping small children.  That is most certainly free speech, and the rise you would get out of the Vatican would keep me entertained for weeks, I can assure you.

No one, as far as I can tell, is denying Muslims' right to protest.  As I said in a comment on my diary, I'm happy -- "thrilled" was the word I used before, I think -- to see them involved in politics that way.  I am, however, furious about the threats that have been made against Danes in Saudi Arabia, EU officials in Palestine, and the newspaper staff.  If someone pulls a gun on me, and offers a credible threat to kill me (and/or my family), I'm going to do everything in my power to kill that person first.  Everyone has the right to defend himself or herself, and the Palestinian gunmen were lucky that the EU showed restraint.

Being offended by a cartoon is no excuse for threatening to kill innocent people -- most of whom were not even involved.  All that those who have threatened violence have accomplished is to alienate even more people and provide more ammunition to those who hate them.

I don't hate them -- I'm all about the Love-Thy-Neighbor-ism of Jesus, even though I'm not a Christian -- and I completely understand why they are so offended by these cartoons, but this is bullshit, and it is exactly why I wrote the column on the insanity that the faithful are led to when they get too deep into their religions.  And, frankly, any god who would have his followers kill those who insult him is no better than Stalin or Mao, as far as I'm concerned.  And anyone who takes their god that seriously needs medication and a psychologist.

Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers. - George Carlin