The right to inflame

The Bill of Rights means that for every Gettysburg address, for every “I have a dream” rally on the Washington mall, you get a Rev. Terry Jones. Jones leads a small Florida church and plans to burn copies of the Quran on Sept. 11. Of course, Muslims consider the Quran sacred and react bitterly whenever it’s mistreated or disrespected — much less tossed onto a bonfire. But that’s what Terry and his flock say they’ll do to mark the ninth anniversary of 9/11. It’s unfortunate — Gen. David Petraeus says it makes things harder for U.S. troops fighting al-Qaida abroad — but it’s also testimony to the power of popping off in a free society. Even if your group numbers less than 50, as Jones’ independent congregation does, you can make national news by being outrageous. Even so, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg defended Jones’ right to burn the Quran, proving that in America not only do you have the right to express distasteful things, but when you do a camera-hound politician will come to your defense.

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