QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 4:16 P.M. ET:  By Geert Wilders, the Dutch parliamentarian who stood up to militant Islam in the Netherlands, and is now on trial there for daring to speak his mind.  From Hudson New York:

Mister Speaker, judges of the court,

I would like to make use of my right to speak for a few minutes. Freedom is the most precious of all our attainments and the most vulnerable. People have devoted their lives to it and given their lives for it. Our freedom in this country is the outcome of centuries. It is the consequence of a history that knows no equal and has brought us to where we are now.

I believe with all my heart and soul that the freedom in the Netherlands is threatened. That what our heritage is, what generations could only dream about, that this freedom is no longer a given, no longer self-evident.

I devote my life to the defence of our freedom. I know what the risks are and I pay a price for it every day. I do not complain about it; it is my own decision. I see that as my duty and it is why I am standing here.

I know that the words I use are sometimes harsh, but they are never rash. It is not my intention to spare the ideology of conquest and destruction, but I am not any more out to offend people. I have nothing against Muslims. I have a problem with Islam and the Islamization of our country because Islam is at odds with freedom.

COMMENT: Wilders is controversial, but free speech is about controversy and debate.  He has the courage to fight our fight.

Meanwhile, a new US Army report on the Fort Hood massacre failed to mention, even once, the ideological motivation of the shooter.  In the Netherlands, court is in session.  In the U.S., political correctness is in session.

January 21, 2010