(no subject)
Mar. 5th, 2003 11:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jazzfishLawyer 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.)
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.)
no subject
Date: 2003-03-05 08:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-03-05 09:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-03-05 09:24 am (UTC)It may well be time to make tracks for Canada....
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Date: 2003-03-05 09:44 am (UTC)Let me know
ifwhen you make it to Canada. I'm currently trying to finish up my bachelor's degree (on the grounds that I've put this much time into it, I'm just now getting to take the fun classes), but I'll be ready to join you in two years... or less if it gets much worse here.no subject
Date: 2003-03-05 09:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-03-05 09:49 am (UTC)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.
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Date: 2003-03-05 09:52 am (UTC)"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."
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Date: 2003-03-05 09:56 am (UTC)Unless he can make a case for discrimination and/or harassment.
Two things make me see the incident in the presented negative light:
1. "I was in the food court with my son..." Of course, his son may have been joining him in the protest. But the son wasn't asked to leave. Of course, the son may have been an infant. But I feel that he's a lot less likely to have been staging a demonstration with a young child.
2. "Calls to the Guilderland police and district attorney, Anthony Cardona and to officials at the mall were not returned for comment." This could be misleading as well, but I don't think so.
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Date: 2003-03-05 10:08 am (UTC)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.
no subject
Date: 2003-03-05 11:24 am (UTC)The lawyer is 61 and his son is 31. They both bought the t-shirts there and then wore them. They were asked to remove them or leave. The son did, the father didn't. The father said "All right then, arrest me if you have to." The policeman was doing his duty. The man was asked to leave and he did not. It was private property, not public. Gun owners who chose to carry out (not concealed) go through this. Smokers who smoke in a private buildings where it is not allowed go through this. Or how about malls that will kick you out for cussing or wearing torn clothes. It is the discretion of the owner what he accepts on HIS property and those who do not follow his rules are tresspassing. The lawyer made a choice to go to that mall. If he disagrees with the owner over a slogan, he can go elsewhere to shop, picket near the mall, write letters to the editor, contact shops in the mall.... whatever.
Now then, there is more to the story. "Monday's arrest came less than three months after about 20 peace activists wearing similar T-shirts were told to leave by mall security and police. There were no arrests." I am assuming, (and I may be wrong), that this lawyer KNEW this. I always get skeptical when a lawyer, (no matter what his politics), gets involved in such things. They are usually doing it make a point.
What it all comes down to for me is this: There are people out there who do not like what private business owners do with their own property. When they disagree, they whine and protest instead of letting capitalism rule. If you don't like it, don't spend your money there. That is all that is to that.
Now I am going to go join Emily and not fight.
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Date: 2003-03-05 11:34 am (UTC)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.)
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Date: 2003-03-05 11:43 am (UTC)I'm still unsure how I feel about 'censorship' in semipublic areas such as shopping malls. I *do* feel that allowing the sale of the T-shirts but not letting them be worn is ... synonyms fail me ... rather dippy.
If you don't like it, don't spend your money there. That is all that is to that.
This is very true. (Unless, as above, you're spoiling for a fight. Sigh.)
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Date: 2003-03-05 11:58 am (UTC)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.
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Date: 2003-03-05 01:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-03-05 02:31 pm (UTC)I'll find something.
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Date: 2003-03-05 07:59 pm (UTC)This (http://www.kuro5hin.org/comments/2003/3/5/115057/6652/163#163) parallels my feelings in the whole mall issue. It wouldn't matter, though, since the mall dropped the charges. (http://www.msnbc.com/local/wnyt/m276307.asp?cp1=1)
no subject
Date: 2003-03-06 07:41 am (UTC)