(no subject)

[jazzfish]

Lawyer Arrested for Wearing a 'Peace' T-Shirt: You know, I wouldn't be a peacenik if the War side were willing to treat American citizens like human beings. Freedom is Slavery.

Bureaucrats get EBay Fever: "So far, $16,281 has been made selling objects taken from passengers at Oakland and Sacramento airports."

Sophie's World: I'm about forty pages into it. It's not a novel, at least not yet; it's a very entertaining textbook on the history of philosophy. I'm enjoying it. The device of "Sophie reads a bit of philosophy, then Sophie thinks about it" may yet get irritating, but it hasn't so far. (And I will be extremely disappointed if "Sophie Amundsen" isn't a linguistic joke on "Wisdom, the son of Man." Please don't tell me if it isn't.)

Comments

[rubinpdf.livejournal.com]

Yeah, because Canada is such a fount of freedom.

Speech codes in Canada (http://www.issues-views.com/index.php/sect/24000/article/24000)
"But, in Canada, the pretensions are few, as an actual Speech Code, designed to control and contain public discourse, has become law. Books and other publications are banned. Officers of Canada's Customs service regularly open incoming packages to check for literature that might be offensive to members of particular "protected" ethnic and "gender" groups...
The Canadian Supreme court has ruled in a series of cases that the government may limit free speech in the name of other worthwhile goals, such as ending discrimination, ensuring social harmony or promoting equality of the sexes."

Hmmmmm.. Beautiful Canada.

[rubinpdf.livejournal.com]

Here's another good line:
"Prosecutors are not required to show proof of malicious intent or actual harm to win convictions in hate speech cases, and courts in some jurisdictions have ruled that it does not matter whether the statements are truthful."

[rubinpdf.livejournal.com]

And here's yet another:
Permission to Speak (http://www.aynrand.org/medialink/columns/rt100902.shtml)
Last week, a shipment of pamphlets from the Ayn Rand Institute was stopped by Canadian customs and detained for three days under suspicion of being "hate propaganda."What was in this pamphlet? Such "hate"-filled passages as: "We stand for individual rights and freedom. In the name of justice, of defending the good, we support Israel. In a region dominated by despotism and totalitarian dictatorships, Israel alone upholds rights." But the definition of "hate speech" is utterly subjective. "Hate speech" is any expression of ideas that might conceivably arouse an emotion of hatred in its readers...
Speech is not free if it is allowed only by permission of the state.

[dasphios.livejournal.com]

::Sigh:: Well, I appriciate the warning. Might have to run back to Ireland, and step up my plans and start a revolution in Djibouti right away.

I'll find something.

[jazzfish]

(also a reply to your other two on the subject)

Yeah, okay. Point conceded; in the free speech arena of citizen's freedoms, Canada is inferior to the US. Note that free speech even in the states is being diluted, though; your article on the smear campaign is a case in point, as is the other half of the "Permission to Speak" article. (This is, of course, not really relevant to your point.)

[rubinpdf.livejournal.com]

Yes... That's why I was (and am) against so-called Campaign Finance Reform. Bush should have vetoed the legislation, but he was afraid of the bad press the veto would muster (also he assumed that when it reaches the Supreme Court, it would be struck down as unconstitional).

As to the Airport Screeners, I would have prefered if they'd been privatized rather than federalized. Part of the problem now is that they only thing they can do is conviscate personal items - they can't actually look for potential terrorist because profiling would be racist. Sure just keep on telling yourself that the 80 year old woman and 3 year old child are just as likely to attempt a terrorist act as that individual of arab descent.

[jazzfish]

I wish I could find the link-- somewhere, there's a good article about how profiling makes it *easier* for terrorists to defeat the system. All they have to do is find people that don't get pulled aside for questioning after several runs through the system...