The decision by UB professor emeritus Paul Kurtz to publish the controversial Muhammad cartoons under a "freedom of speech" guise is simply wrong. The cartoons in question have lost any timeliness they once had, and his free speech argument rings hollow in light of the censorship apparent in European society. He is no longer offering anything new to the debate - he's being inflammatory.
Free Inquiry, an Amherst-based magazine published by the Center for Inquiry whose chairman and editor in chief is Kurtz, a philosophy professor, based their decision as "an act of solidarity with European newspapers, demonstrating their commitment to free expression and a free press," The Buffalo News reported Wednesday.
This argument would have held more weight when the cartoon controversy initially erupted. But Free Inquiry is published bi-monthly, and this is the first issue since the riots and violence occurred. Regardless, the window of positive impact has closed. Anyone can look up the offending pictures on the Internet if they so choose; Kurtz should have focused his publication's efforts more on the written content the subject affords, as opposed to the visual. Reprinting them now is nothing more than a publicity stunt.
In professing solidarity with Europe's free-speech crusading newspapers, Kurtz's publication misses the mark as well. Eleven European nations have laws punishing anyone who denies the Holocaust, as disgraced British historian David Irving's recent jail sentence attests. Europe's strict anti-hate laws are more than understandable in the context of the Holocaust's horrors, but for Kurtz to champion the countries as havens of free speech is hypocritical.
The cartoons' relevance has passed, and professing solidarity with Europe doesn't necessarily advocate for freedom of speech. Kurtz's secular humanism expertise should have brought him to that conclusion.
Harboring dreams
Inner harbor development a great project with wrong centerpiece
The new plans in place for downtown Buffalo's inner harbor development will prove a windfall of tourism if brought to fruition. A long neglected, though vital, component to the waterfront will be incorporated back into the city. Just don't expect too much from the master plans' showpiece though, the Bass Pro shop.
Local magazineOs choice to publish prophet cartoons is misguided
The $1.4 billion designs laid out by the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation envision a multi-phased construction scheme, with the Bass Pro mega shop serving as the focal piece for the first stage. A marketplace open year round is included along with new commercial and residential dwellings, with emphasis placed on a block-by-block building-construction approach that is both practical and smart.
We find the idea that Bass Pro will serve as the catalyst for the waterfront's rejuvenation troubling. If the glorified tackle shop fails - a very real possibility in an economically depressed region such as Western New York - the rest of the planning becomes even more crucial for any long-term success to occur. The design as presented has ample room for commercial, residential, and recreational development, but it is not clear what happens to the later phase plans if Bass Pro fails.
That's why the two-lane lift bridge linking the outer harbor to Main Street will prove to be the most important aspect of the project. As it stands now, one has to basically leave downtown and travel through Lackawanna and maneuver under the Skyway to reach the outer harbor. Easing waterfront accessibility would allow for a unified harbor, which will ultimately be the savior of any new waterfront development.
