Terry Jones’s bigoted stunt has now triggered violence in Kandahar, as hard-line imams and Taliban leaders exploit the Koran-burning to whip up hatred against Americans and other foreigners: Deadly Protests for Koran Burning Reach Kandahar.

I notice today that the usual right wing idiots are screaming that I blame Terry Jones for the violence, but not the Muslim protesters — and that’s nonsense.

The rioters who murdered UN workers and ran amok today in Kandahar are responsible for their actions. But Terry Jones, who was warned repeatedly by top US officials that violence would be the result, is also responsible for his actions. Jones is a pathetic coward who put the lives of others on the line in order to make a statement of pure bigotry. And more than a dozen are now dead because of it.

In this country, Jones has the constitutional right to burn any book he feels like burning. Should he be punished for this? Not legally, no. But this disgusting, deliberately provocative act does not deserve anyone’s support, and Jones is no hero for free speech. He’s a twisted, amoral man hiding behind religion — just like the Afghan imams who incited these crowds to violence.