Then why show us the censorship issues in Spain? I have no idea how that is relevant at all. And asking for public apologies from a government official for something printed in the private media??!!! I am entirely against that. That would be horrible.

The coercive power of governments in the public square should be reigned in when it comes to free speech. In fact, the world is suffering today because the US gov't has effectively defined patriotism as unabashed allegiance to the military and nation. Their arguments are coercive, and they are often adopted by the media as the borders of "good taste." A public apology from a gov't official would have similar effects.

I am not against ALL forms of censorship. I believe that some forms of speech (that which curtails the speech of others, especially through intimidation and violence) should be censored. But these cartoons clearly fall outside that scope.