Isn't it wonderful how the death of (at least some) innocent people sparks a debate over something completely unrelated to the events?

Did anyone else notice in all of this that there was a Pro-American, Pro Chris Stevens protest in Benghazi?

Yes. Here is a link to some pics from the protest.

I wonder if that makes the people of Benghazi appear to be hiding terrorists.

Edit: I just watched that movie... Are people really insulted by that? It's such a bad movie and it's rather stupid. I've a hard time finding offense with it.

I'm puzzled how everyone here is an expert on the video in question, as the reporting this afternoon by both the BBC and NPR has been that they haven't been able to identify who the maker of the film actually is -- the name and bio attached to it appears to not be anyone who they can verify exists, implying at least one level of identity obfuscation -- and that the offensive portions that have so incensed the Arab world appear to be bad overdubs on a pre-existing film.

IMO, it's quite possible that the video itself is a terrorist act designed to incite ant-American sentiment amongst volatile religious populations. We very much do live in a world where crappy YouTube videos can be manufactured for political purposes, and internet accessibility can be exploited for nefarious purpose.

Let's find out who made the video and what their purpose in doing so was before we start leaping to conclusions about their unimpeachability.

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I was horrified today to receive a message from someone with the header, "Blood-Crazed Muslims Drag Body of US Ambassador Stevens Through Streets of Libya". A web search reveals that a large number of questionable webpages are promulgating this version of events and claiming that the news media's reporting that good-intentioned Libyans tried to rush his body to the hospital through the streets is a cover-up.

From this remove, I can't say which story is true, though I've a tendency to believe the BBC and NPR over nowtheendbegins.com and lunaticoutpost.com. Either these fringe sites are the height of bold resistance bringing the truth of matters to light, or they're despicably crass for promulgating blatant falsehoods for political purpose. I'm not certain how they purport to know the hidden truth without themselves being in-country, but they certainly present their viewpoint with the appearance of every confidence.

I have my own bias about which version of events is accurate, and am curious what others might think.

Personally, if the fringe sites are indeed crassly lying and distorting events to fit their political agenda, I think that's exactly the sort of speech that should be both unprotected and prosecuted.

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From the reports I heard, the Ambassador was well-loved by the Libyan people, and a Deputy Ambassador of Libya to England said in recorded interview that the security forces in Libya have been infiltrated and compromised by religious extremists. Hopefully this tragedy assists Libya in developing internal security that is less politicized and the Western world is able to witness and believe that the majority of Libyans are as horrified by this development as we are.

With the attack on the embassy in Yemen now, it's pretty obvious this was a planned attack... and I pretty sure it has nothing to do with this movie.

The depiction of the Prophet at all is highly offensive in Islam and people should have learned this by now (I learned it before I reached high school age).

This may not have been intended for a Middle Eastern audience, but if you stick something on the internet, someone there is likely to see it.

Blaming the people who made the film for some other people killing some different other people is like blaming the designer for making the shoes a woman was wearing when a man decided to rape her.

Start in Sudan. Go north around Libya, east along the Med, include Gaza and Palestine, go north around Lebanon, east to Iran, south to the ocean, with a one-hundred foot wall, twelve feet thick. Let them fight it out. USA to be energy free from Middle East oil very soon.

What is it about the sanctity of an embassy, which condition has been accepted through world wars, doesn't everyone get? This is a piece of land in another country that is 'holy', so to speak.

The rape analogy you cited doesn't work here.