Recently, I asked you to put your names on a petition to support the 12 signatories of the Manifesto Against a New Totalitarianism. The manifesto signatories included me, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Taslima Nasrin and Salman Rushdie. I explained that we received a serious death threat from the British-based Islamic website ummah.com, and that your signatures of solidarity with us would show that we are not afraid to defy Islamist radicals. Some 2000 of you signed - and the number is still growing!

Only one person emailed a disconcerting message. A gentleman named Norman Finkelstein wrote to say, "Is there a petition supporting the death threats?" Maybe he's just a researcher.