There is no risk in mocking politicians, now matter how intensively the abuse is served. There is no risk in mocking any establishements of American or Western culture- no harm will ensue. Performing the "Vagina Monologues" isn't an act of bravery, unless one does it in Saudi Arabia, perhaps. Every artist alive today now knows the limits: you can do this, which is as brave as taunting a stuffed teddy bear, or you can do that, which amounts to taunting a very hungry very uncaged bear.

Bravery, to an artist, is now an all or nothing thing. Leave the repressive regimes alone, and all your efforts, no matter how avante garde, provocative, or just plain offensive your work is, and you are just pretending at courage. Cross the line and say something about Islam, and your life is one the line.

All the gray areas have vanished in a week. It's as if mountaineers were to suddenly be faced with only two choices: Everest, or the plastic rock climbing wall. Long after this dies in the news, its going to echo in the heads of every writer, poet, standup comedian and performance artist- go after any target but the big one, and you're only faking it, playing it safe. It doesn't matter whether they admit it or not, whether they rewrite their material or not, it will be there, in their minds, and it will affect things. Even Margaret Cho knows she can curse Bush all she wants, but she'd better keep her mouth shut about you-know-who if whe doesn't want to bleed to death in the street. Speaking Truth to Power is only a heroic act if Power chooses to make an issue of it.

I have this rather demonic thought that if I were the Emcee of a comedy club, I'd make the situation plain as can be and start the evening with a warning: "We certainly don't want to see anyone hurt, or worse, so please, comedians, you are forbidden by the management from saying anything offensive about Islam. --well, umm, no, Sarah, a release form won't do it-- But all other topics are okay."

I asked Ben:

I thought that would be the case after Salman Rushdie but nothing changed. What do you think?

I think there is a big difference- this time, the threat and warnings are not directed against an individual, but a civilization and everyone on it, very clearly. This is nothing less than an order given out to the artistic world of the west: You are hereby ordered not to mock us- and we have the power to enforce this ruling.