ROCKING THE HOUSE OF PEACE: Tim Cavanagh writes:

The Rev. Jerry Falwell’s new career as an international insult comic creates an easy target for Islam’s self-appointed defenders; but the bromides of anti-discrimination are no substitute for actual discussion of some pretty important ideological questions. Not every Cold War leftist was a closet Stalinite, and I’d certainly like to believe that not every Imam is a secret jihadist. Unfortunately, the people who should be persuading me are too busy changing the subject.

Meanwhile The American Prospect is actually defending Jerry Falwell — though not against charges of idiocy.

UPDATE: Good, er, Lord — now it’s Dan Savage defending the American religious right:

I’d like to offer an uncharacteristic (for me) defense of America’s religious jackasses. While their tireless efforts to remove porn from hotel rooms, ban abortion, and pick on homos are annoying in the extreme, their actions seem positively benign when compared to, say, the actions of Saudi Arabia’s religious jackasses. At least our jackasses are only pressuring hotel chains to stop making porn available to horny businessmen. They’re not crashing airplanes into Marriott and Hilton hotel towers.

Hmm. I’m pretty sure that one of Kaus’s Rules of Punditry states that two examples make a trend, so let’s all recognize the new trend of lefties defending the American religious right!