A READER WRITES:

I was arguing with someone over the weekend about the demonstrations planned for when Mr. Bush goes to London this week. I made the point that we would never see an anti-Al Qaeda demonstration against atrocities like the one in Istanbul, and was pointing out the hypocrisy (and corruption) of this. (Andrew Sullivan ran a quote from an American ex-pat in England who was afraid to go to one of these demonstrations to express his support for the U.S.)

But it occurred to me that we should have such demonstrations, and I wondered if bloggers could organize such things, here and elsewhere. How about a day or multiple days) of protest against fanaticism, violence, anti-Semitism, and the murder of civilians (not to mention people at prayer, for God’s sake)?

It’s time to turn this thing around, don’t you think? The anti-Americanism out of Europe is ridiculous at this point, when such things are routinely occurring there and elsewhere. I’m tired of it, and tired that Istanbul can pass as just another day, while Bush in London mobilizes thousands. We need to speak up.

Indeed. Though there’s no hypocrisy about Istanbul. If Bush were bombing synagogues, they probably wouldn’t protest that.

UPDATE: Well, in a way what the reader asks for is already happening.