Context

"Thanks to you, I die like a martyr of Islam to inspire generations of the weak and defenseless people."

Had that been the quote of a Muslim who slaughtered three dozen in an American city, we'd invade Iran. Of course, it was Cho, who actually said "die like Jesus Christ." The phrase "nappy-headed hos" got a man fired in one instance, but the subsequent 11,000 times (according to Google News), it was considered journalism or commentary. In a time increasingly dominated by religious fundamentalism, when submission is favored above reason, we ignore the context of things. "Moral clarity" is favored above anything that looks relativistic, even when the nuanced view is the only way to gain actual insight into a situation.

We're lucky Cho wasn't a Saudi, or this week's news would have an entirely different spin.