http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5593002Hmmm.
Much to my surprise, I don't think the American nana primitive, the "NanceGreggs" idiot, is at this bonfire.
paulsby (1000+ posts) Mon May-04-09 01:28 PM
Original message
One man's trials... and Canada's false commitment to free speech
Ezra Levant spent three years, and 100,000 dollars to defend himself against charges...
because he published pictures of mohammed. ... in CANADA.....after which follows a long article, and then the primitive comments again
.....by prohibiting publishing anything that is "likely to expose a person or class of persons to hatred or contempt" canada has thrown away any semblance of being a free country in regards to speech. the CCLA (Canadian Civil Liberties Association) has commented on this before, as well.
you cannot simultaneously have free speech AND prohibit publishing speech that is likely to expose a person or class of persons to hatred or contempt.
those are mutually inconsistent
HeresyLives (1000+ posts) Mon May-04-09 01:47 PM
Response to Original message
1. Ezra Levant is a right-wing publicity seeker.
Canada has very clear hate laws, and he has made his living pretending to be a freedom fighter.
He is currently fighting law-suits for a reason.
paulsby (1000+ posts) Mon May-04-09 01:50 PM
Response to Reply #1
2. canada has very clear
HATE SPEECH laws, which are inconsistent with free speech.
i quoted the wording of the law.
yes, he is a rightwinger.
is it any "better" when a rightwinger is punished by govt. free speech opponents vs. a leftwinger?
you either support free speech for ALL, or you are not truly a proponent of free speech.
see: voltaire.
the comments in the article make your point. he is a rightwing assmunch. but he was also subjected to govt. scrutiny, investigation, and human rights investigation for DARING to print the frigging cartoons. that's wrong, and contrary to any idea of free speech (which canada does not respect), regardless of his political ideology
HeresyLives (1000+ posts) Mon May-04-09 01:52 PM
Response to Reply #2
3. Sorry, I'm not interested in your views on Canada's laws.
paulsby (1000+ posts) Mon May-04-09 01:54 PM
Response to Reply #3
4. what you mean is that you are not interested in free speech and human rights but of course if you are not interested in it, you better not comment or read any further, lest your head explode from cognitive dissonance.
canada has given up any semblance of supporting free speech.
HeresyLives (1000+ posts) Mon May-04-09 02:01 PM
Response to Reply #4
6. I mean Canada supports these laws, which is why we don't have the KKK, hate radio and race riots.
We prefer civilized behavior, and treating others with respect.
paulsby (1000+ posts) Mon May-04-09 02:05 PM
Response to Reply #6
8. canada prefers that govt. be the "decider" as to what speech is too dangerous for their subjects to be exposed to.
that's inconsistent with freedom.
it's also a false conclusion that canada's hate speech laws are the reason WHY you don't have race riots, for instance.
plenty of countries with restrictive speech laws have had race riots.
but again, it's simply a choice you made.
you chose civility over freedom.
i prefer freedom. it's messy and dangerous, but that's the price we pay to be free.
govt. can't tell me what i can say, or what i can read.
your govt. can.
that's an abhorrent restriction on liberty in a supposedly free country.
HeresyLives (1000+ posts) Mon May-04-09 02:08 PM
Response to Reply #8
9. Your version of 'free speech' is simply an excuse to insult and attack other people.
Keep your version south of our border, please.
paulsby (1000+ posts) Mon May-04-09 02:16 PM
Response to Reply #9
12. here's a little hint for you if you can't "insult", "make people feel uncomfortable" or expose groups to ridicule, you don't have free speech.
your caught in orwell's web. your govt. is protecting you from bad ideas. sure, let your govt. decide what ideas are too scary for your fragile populace to hear or express. THAT's just a dandy way to promote freedom.
and it's not MY version. it's the ONLY version. you cannot simultaneously have free speech, but prohibit speech that makes people feel uncomfortable or insulted.
here's what (one of many of canada's anti-freedom laws) prohibits:
speech that "is likely to expose a person or class of persons to hatred or contempt"
that's inconsistent with free speech. it's also abhorrently vague and prone to abuse.
Neocons are pieces of garbage, they are stupid, warmongers, and they smell of elderberries.
i just said something that "exposes a person or class of persons to hatred or contempt"
thus, if i say this in canada, it is entirely within the govt.'s discretion to start an investigation based on such speech
these laws are inconsistent with freedom
HeresyLives (1000+ posts) Mon May-04-09 02:17 PM
Response to Reply #12
13. You live your way, we'll live our way.
paulsby (1000+ posts) Mon May-04-09 02:20 PM
Response to Reply #13
15. and i'll criticize your restrictions on liberty and freedom just as i criticize my own country when it does so.
i would expect you to criticize stuff we do that is bad.
i will do the same.
canada's laws, especially in a supposedly freedom loving democratic country, are contrary to freedom and civil rights.
thus, i will criticize such laws.
HeresyLives (1000+ posts) Mon May-04-09 02:27 PM
Response to Reply #15
19. This is how you get into wars.
Trying to tell everyone else how to live.
paulsby (1000+ posts) Mon May-04-09 02:31 PM
Response to Reply #19
23. riiiiiiiiiight
so criticizing other countries is a step towards warfare.
that actually explains how you could support such anti-freedom laws.
if you believe that criticism is a step towards violent warmongering, then it would explain why you would be so hesistant to allow criticism.
thanks for the insight into your psyche.
better lock yourself up and cloister yerself away from all those bad people and their mean words.
first step is criticism. next step is warmongering.
tell yourself - they are either with me, or against me, and then they start lobbing missiles!
HeresyLives (1000+ posts) Mon May-04-09 02:32 PM
Original message
Well, how's that been working out for you, eh?
paulsby (1000+ posts) Mon May-04-09 02:33 PM
Response to Original message
26. how has what been working out?
our free speech laws work out great.
we have freedom to speak our mind.
canada doesn't
HeresyLives (1000+ posts) Mon May-04-09 02:34 PM
Response to Reply #26
27. Telling other countries how to live.
paulsby (1000+ posts) Mon May-04-09 02:37 PM
Response to Reply #27
29. i would hope you do the same when a country, especially a supposedly democratic freedom loving one suppresses the civil rights of its citizens, criticism is a duty.
don't you criticize us when we violate civil rights? i would hope so.
Uh-oh. A primitive makes a Pedro Picasso sort of mistake:
HeresyLives (1000+ posts) Mon May-04-09 02:41 PM
Response to Reply #29
33. Canada is not America.
Something you seem to have a hard time comprehending.
Your constitution says 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness'.
Ours say, 'peace, order and good government'.
Anyway, it just goes on and on like this; it's a pretty big bonfire.
The anti-Second Amendment Canadian "iverglas" primitive makes some comments, but they're not worth reading, much less bothering to copy-and-paste.
Damn, Canadians can be dumb.
