Lara Logan Is What the Ali Babbas Want

On Wednesday, NOLA.com collected and posted media reports concerning the sexual assault of Lara Logan, the CBS news correspondent who was sexually assaulted while covering the recent protests in Egypt. The story has attracted a lot of attention but there is an emerging meta-story concerning the offensive online comments that the story has provoked, including on NPR.com where a story was published specifically addressing the offensive comments. The NOLA.com post acknowledged these issues obliquely, linking to a story about an NYU Fellow who resigned his position after posting the following tweet, in which he called her a "major war monger":

Lara Logan had to outdo Anderson. Where was her buddy McCrystal . . . I’m rolling my eyes at all the attention she’ll get.

This might make you think that NOLA.com would have been especially aggressive and considered in it moderation of its post about Logan. Nope:

canard February 16, 2011 at 1:59PM

What fools are at CBS news to send a blond blue-eyed American beauty into that mob scene of Muslims !!! that woman represented what everyone of those Ali Babbas want; it is pure managerial negligence to have allowed her to go on that assignment. During the 18 days of that mess, did anyone see one woman in the mobs. Hell no. Most Americans still live in that bubble world; just because one country talks democracy, does not mean that have same values as the West. 

hegelian1971 February 16, 2011 at 2:31PM

She was foolish to think she could go over there and be safe. All the world is not as safe as your garden variety suburban mall. In the absence of governmental control, crazy, lawless behavior becomes the norm and she became a target.
Sham-- you are crazy if you think you are entitled to be safe anywhere you go. "Blaming the victim" for not using common sense is completely justified. I dont roam about where it is known to be unsafe after dark. That is called common sense... O sure, I can take the moral highground later, while in the hospital recovery room (if I am that lucky)--and i would then agree with other people, with common sense that I should not have gone there...when I knew IN ADVANCE that it wasnt safe. The perps were still wrong for what they did-- but I was an IDIOT for stepping in the line of fire. Take your Pollyanna mindset to the Disney website-- we're talking reality here.

 Dynomoose February 16, 2011 at 3:04PM

what a horrible story. Unfortunately, it is also illustrative of how many Muslim men view women. 

lesliec February 17, 2011 at 6:19PM

THESE pple are fighting for freedom and have the blazzin gaul to rape a woman publically? I am really starting to believe all these mid eastern peace-loving-muslims are real animals who wouldn't know what freedom is or how to use it. so sad.....god save the US

Responding to a suggestion from another user that he was blaming the victim, hegelian1971 responded:

hegelian1971 February 16, 2011 at 3:25PM

I guess only your view of free speech should be protected huh?
Realize Sham, that the world-- the whole great big world has billions of people on it, and many are under nourished and desperate--financially. We (America) have become a lightning rod for revolutionaries to attack in order to gain popularity amongst their people who wish to throw off the latest form theft--we'll call it neo-colonialism. So, many in the crowd may have thought she was pretty, and had a chance to take advantage of a lawless situation to fulfill their disgusting urges to rape a woman. Others may have seen it as a way to send a message to the world, and namely, the USA-- so she was brutalized --which symbolized their disgust for our nation and its unflinching alliance with Israel. Either way-- whatever the motivation-- she was in an unsafe place, grossly outnumbered.
I dont go on the African Safari and get out of my car to take up close pictures of wild beasts. Men, acting with complete disregard for the law behave wildly-- and she put herslef in a bad situation and got hurt. She probably wont do that again. The men who did it are guilty of rape and should be punished... I dont know what your problem is with me saying they are wrong for doing that to her and she is wrong for putting herself in a dangerous situation. 

He followed up, with the following "joke":

hegelian1971 February 16, 2011 at 3:30PM

Doesnt matter if Muslim, Christian, athiest-- men have raped women for eons... its wrong, always. Let's not let this story affect our opinion of muslims...rather it should be a learning experience... female reporters who dont have a large group protecting them-- and/or a trusty firearm with them should NOT enter into dangerous situations.... period.
A climate controlled studio with makeup, and red lipstick works just as well.

After reading all these comments, one user expressed pure despair:

hellofriend February 17, 2011 at 8:26PM

Some of you are Pigs! You know who you are and I hope you are not on the jury for my trial. This is why alot of women don't speak up, their worried about pigs like you being on the jury!

***
Because I don't want to lump Nir Rosen, who made the stupid twitter comment, in with the nasty anonymous commenters at NOLA.com, I wanted to give a link to his apologia on Salon. I respect a man that says he's sorry.