Muslims burn US flag in Bangladesh.

Ryan M, a contributor to Ricochet who is clearly a defense attorney or public defender, expressed the feelings of many Americans, fed up with both expressions of Muslim rage and with the futile efforts by American liberals at placating them. An increasing number of Americans are looking for leadership that will do something serious and effective about the festering fanatical pathology which periodically erupts into murderous violence.

Reading of the murder of Ambassador Stevens:

My immediate reaction was the thought that we, as a country, need to finally say enough, already, and squash the mob. My reaction upon reading a statement released by our own government was one that leads me to that emotionalism that typically finds no home in my little essays:

The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims — as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions. Today, the 11th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, Americans are honoring our patriots and those who serve our nation as the fitting response to the enemies of democracy. Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy. We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others.

Right now, I feel a bit more like the guy sitting on his porch with a shotgun. This isn’t a matter of hurting people’s feelings or being nice or taking responsibility for creating a situation where some people hate us. It isn’t a matter of cracking down on our own freedom of speech in order to silence anyone who would say something that might spark a riot. It is a matter of getting the message through that we will not tolerate that riot, for any reason. I am far more inclined to suggest that we send that message in the same way we told the Japanese that they needed to be finished with World War II. September 11 becomes far less symbolic for them when September 12 is the day that we wiped out an entire capital city in retaliation. I am not, obviously, suggesting that we drop a nuclear bomb on some Middle East capital in order to send a message. However, what we have done is precisely the opposite. We have given them exactly what they want. We have responded to unprovoked violence by promising to make an effort to dismantle the system that they don’t like. We have sent a message. That message: “Keep doing this. It is working.”