Originally posted by: KitKat
As for freedom of speech, as has been pointed out before, this is a very blurred line. Is sexual harrassment freedom of speech? Generally, in our society we've come to the conclusion that freedom of speech applies only so far as it is not harming another person. To see that this event has sparked such serious and debilitating consequences for the parties involved, and on a nation-wide scale no less, sets off some warning flags in my mind that these cartoons crossed the boundary from being expressions of opinion to being instruments of harm.
This comic strip is very different from sexual harrassment in one very important way. When you sexually harrass someone, they pretty much have to hear you saying it. When it comes to printed material, no one is forcing you to read the article or buy the newspaper. If this were on a billboard, that would be a different story; you'd then have a good reason to be upset. You don't like what they print? Then don't buy or read it. Besides, this is freedom of the press, not freedom of speech. There are a lot less restrictions on printed material then what can be said in, say, an office environment or even in public.
Edit: Oh, yeah, and my co-worker said he saw the comic, and he didn't care. His religion comes first, and quite frankly, he doesn't care what other people think of him and his faith.