A P.R. offensive. Check out the photo that accompanies the article. Think it’ll work?

Tony Blair’s reaching out too, agreeing this week to set up a forum with Indonesia to help resolve cultural “misunderstandings” between Islam and the west. Like this one, for instance. Or this one, in which Afghan clerics justify human rights violations in terms of democratic autonomy. Or this one, in which a suicide bombing that killed four people is explicitly endorsed by Palestine’s duly elected ruling party.

Still, hope springs eternal.

LGF also has an update on Borders’s refusal to carry the new issue of Free Inquiry. I’ll say this much for them: they’re not papering over their fear with some phony pretense of “respect for religion.” They admit it — they’re afraid. And that’s a very positive step, because once the real issue is on the table, it becomes a lot harder not to address it. So, good for Borders to that small extent, at least. They’ve salvaged a shred of dignity from an otherwise sorry situation.

UPDATE: A great catch by Bryan Preston on the timeline in the first story I linked. Don’t miss it.