Iran to hold Holocaust Cartoon Contest

... all in the spirit of one-ups-manship. They'll simply be satirical cartoons people, so stay calm. It's not like they really mean any of it or have a wackjob president who's actually called for Israel to be wiped off the map, or who's denied the fact the Holocuast occurred, or who supports terrorist groups that kill Jews. Wait a mintue... Next thing you know Saddam's going to become some sort of renown poet... er... yeah. TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's best-selling newspaper has launched a competition to find the best cartoon about the Holocaust in retaliation for the publication in many European countries of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad. Because nothing says we hate you like a cartoon contest. OK, so this will denegrate the Jews, but how exactly is this going to be retaliatory to the Danish, French, Irish, or Spanish newspapers that published the offensive Muhammed cartoons? There's nothing better than completely and totally misguided beliefs and actions. It really gives you an insight into the mentality of the people you're dealing with, doesn't it? The Brussels-based Conference of European Rabbis (CER) denounced the idea and urged the Muslim world to do likewise. Was that before or after they torched the Iranian embassy, burned the newspaper editors and publishers in effigy, picketed with signs like "Death to all who insult the Holocaust" & "Behaed all who mock Judaism," and just generally acted rude and obnoxious? The daily paper Hamshahri said the contest was designed to test the boundaries of free speech -- the reason given by many European newspapers for publishing the cartoons of the Prophet. No one's going to stop you from publishing your silly cartoon. We'll all do the same thing we did after the Muhammed cartoons, many will call them misguided (though I'd debate that) and demand apologies from the newspapers that carry them, but I'm pretty sure you won't see any rioting. Maybe a candlelight vigil... Besides, after thousands of years of oppression, surviving the Holocaust and Inquisition, being dispersed across the world, and killed dozens at a time by suicide bombers who'll stop at nothing to kill all Jews (just to describe a fraction of the trials Jewish people have endured in their history), I think the Jews can make it through a cartoon contest without losing too much sleep. "A serious question for Muslims ... is this: 'does Western free speech allow working on issues like America and Israel's crimes or an incident like the Holocaust or is this freedom of speech only good for insulting the holy values of divine religions?'" the paper said on Tuesday. No, we do a fairly good job of insulting our own "divine" religions too. Freedom of speech means freedom of speech. Hence the term "freedom of speech." It doesn't get much clearer than that. Of course by doing this you open yourself to the consequences. You'll be mocked (ya think?) and ridiculed for your totally childish attempt at retaliation (at least it's more constructive than setting embassies on fire), but if you're cool with that, knock yourselves out. Hopefully you can live up to the hype, or else this was all just a waste of time and energy. Kind of like Brokeback Mountain.