But heck, she wonÂ’t even let me put a Tom DeLay sign in the yard. She certainly wonÂ’t let me get a fatwa for the front lawn.

BEAUMONT - John Caffery called it an act of cowardice by U.S. newspapers for not publishing controversial Muslim-based cartoons, so the local resident decided to take matters into his own hands.

On the corner of Daisy and Norwood drives, Caffery erected a large sign Sunday afternoon with one of the cartoons. It also carries a message about the subsequent rioting throughout the world caused by the publishing of the cartoons in a Danish newspaper.

Caffery couldn't understand why American newspapers opted to omit the cartoons but write about the rioting. He said newspapers were not giving the public all of the information they needed to understand.

So he decided to be a source of information, he said, because it's a matter of free speech. At the very least, he can let his local community know the rioting, violence and denouncement of the United States is over a cartoon.

"It's cowardly for (a) newspaper giving in to the pressure from the Muslims for these so-called offending cartoons," Caffery said. "Most of the cartoons are pretty silly. The one out there on the sign is probably one of the least offending cartoons."

The sign is four feet by eight feet, according to Caffery's estimation, and was made as "large as it feasibly" could be made, he said. A cartoon of Muhammad's head shaped like a lit bomb is depicted to the left and a statement on the right reads "For This Cartoon In Danish and Nowegian [sic] Newspapers Muslems [sic] Worldwide Have Rioted, and Killed and Now Offer $11 Million Reward to Kill The Cartoonist."

At the beginning of the statement, an arrow points to the cartoon.

Caffery, 67, lists his e-mail address and phone number. He said he encourages people to call or write him to receive information about the cartoons.

"It's not that I'm anti-Islam," he said. "It's that I'm anti-anybody who says you have to do as they insist or they're going to kill you."

Well, they are up on the site, and so is my little addition to the fray.

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