freedom of expression

In honor of the suppression of an art exhibition right here in the US where a crucified Jesus made of chocolate was found to be offensive, I present the lyrics to Tom Waits' song, Chocolate Jesus:

Dont go to church on sunday
Dont get on my knees to pray
Dont memorize the books of the bible
I got my own special way
Bit I know jesus loves me
Maybe just a little bit more

I fall on my knees every sunday
At zerelda lees candy store

Well its got to be a chocolate jesus
Make me feel good inside
Got to be a chocolate jesus
Keep me satisfied

Well I dont want no anna zabba
Dont want no almond joy
There aint nothing better
Suitable for this boy
Well its the only thing
That can pick me up
Better than a cup of gold
See only a chocolate jesus
Can satisfy my soul

(solo)
When the weather gets rough

From the American Jewish Committee (AJC):

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, a Bangladeshi journalist and the editor of Blitz, the largest English-language weekly tabloid in Bangladesh, has faced persecution imposed by his own government for the last few years. He now faces a sedition trial for speaking out about the threats radical Islam poses in Bangladesh and, is found guilty, could face the death penalty.

On January 16, Representative Mark Kirk and Nita Lowey re-introduced a previous resolution from the 109th Congress (H.Res.64) calling on the Bangladeshi government to drop charges against Mr. Choudhury. The resolution is expected to pass the House of Representatives on Tuesday, March 13. AJC and other human rights organizations are calling on world leaders to press Bangladesh to end its campaign of persecution. Mr. Choudhury was arrested in November 2003 when he tried to attend a conference in Israel and imprisoned under extremely difficult conditions. Although he was released last year thanks to the tireless efforts of many government officials including Congressman Kirk, the Bangladesh government continues to harass Mr. Choudhury, intent on silencing him and his views.

In May 2006, AJC presented Mr. Choudhury with its Moral Courage Award recognizing his efforts to promote dialogue between Muslims and Jews and his courage to speak the truth against Islamic extremism. Unfortunately, the Bangladesh government prevented him from visiting the United States to receive the honor.