Miss Kelly

Dutch Parliamentarian Geert Wilders to Speak in Stoughton MA

Geert Wilders, Dutch Parliamentarian and outspoken critic of radical Islam, is coming to the U.S. this week.  He's speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on Friday, and luckily for us eastern Massachusetts folks, he's speaking in Stoughton this Wednesday and showing the film Fitna.  Details:

Ahavath Torah Congregation
1179 Central St
Stoughton, MA 02072

February 25, 2009
6:30pm-7:30pm

More on the presentation here.   Jill at The Business of Life wrote about Wilders being "banned in Britain" last week.  He was denied entry to England where he had been invited to a showing of Fitna at the House of Lords. She's got beaucoup links to other commentators on Wilders and Engand's pathetic treatment of the Dutch Parliamentarian. 

Johann Hari Defends Freedom of Speech...

...which includes the freedom to offend.  From British writer Johann Hari, avowed secularist:

"Last week, I wrote an article defending free speech for everyone – and in response there have been riots, death threats, and the arrest of an editor who published the article."

Related to the BC Neo-Maoist "Human Rights" Tribunal ...

Speaking of Neo-Maoist "Human Rights" tribunals, the Anchoress has a timely discussion of liberty and tyranny, which opens with quotes from G.K. Chesterton: and C.S. Lewis:

“The free man owns himself. He can damage himself with either eating or drinking; he can ruin himself with gambling. If he does he is certainly a damn fool, and he might possibly be a damned soul; but if he may not, he is not a free man any more than a dog.” (Chesteron)

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their consciences.” (Lewis)

The Anchoress has bucket loads of links about what tyranny looks like in the U.S., England, France, Canada, Russia and Venezuela.  She's on one of her rolls, it's a pithy post.  About President Bush she writes:

"All we can do is hope that the guy everyone is actually calling a tyrant will continue to hold steady in the face of madness and political pressure.  And we have no reason to think he won’t.  He’s been holding steady against an incessant current, and keeping to a promise, for the past 7 years." 

"And we’re going to miss him when he’s gone, and no one is left to hold steady against anything."

Agreed.

 

David Warren on Canadian HRC "Trial" of Mark Steyn

Some human rights they've got up there in Canada.  David Warren has a sharp assessment of the ongoing kangaroo court proceedings by the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal against Mark Steyn.  They couldn't have picked a better person than Steyn to attack. 

"The writings of Canada’s most talented journalist, Mark Steyn, went on trial in Vancouver on Monday, in a case designed to challenge freedom of the press. It is a show trial, under the arbitrary powers given to Canada’s obscene “human rights” commissions, by Section 13 of our Human Rights Act."

"...Take this in:

"A group of Islamist fanatics, claiming to speak for every Muslim in Canada, charged Maclean’s magazine with 'spreading hatred against Muslims' for having printed a lucid and reasonable (if controversial) excerpt from Steyn’s bestselling book, America Alone. This is a news story that should be on the front page of every newspaper in Canada, every day until it is resolved."

"....A farce, but a farce that has huge consequences for Canada: for by such methods free speech and free press are being snuffed out. The Left may think they have found the ideal method to silence anyone who challenges their insane, 'politically correct'" ideas, but have instead created a monster that can as easily eat them next."

"This is a disaster also for Canada’s Muslims, for the views of fanatical Islamists are being presented as representative of them all. No single person has done so much to advance contempt for Islam in this country as Mohamed Elmasry, president of the “Canadian Islamic Congress,” the complainant in this case -- whose public assertions have included e.g. the view that every Israeli citizen is a valid target for Palestinian hitmen."

"The bland acceptance of this jackass, by mainstream Canadian media, as the definitive spokesman for Muslim interests in Canada, cannot be blamed on the Muslim community. Innumerable Muslims have disavowed him, and yet are entirely ignored." 

"....While media attention to Mark Steyn’s show trial is inadequate (it is getting more attention in the United States than up here), it is nevertheless the best publicized case ever to come before our 'human rights' bureaucracies. Most of the victims of these neo-Maoist tribunals have been 'little people,' with nothing like the resources Maclean’s magazine has put in play to defend itself and Steyn, and no media reporting whatever. They have been persecuted, stripped of their livelihoods and savings, demonized among their neighbours, made to endure humiliating 're-education' programmes -- without lawyers, without assistance of any kind -- all for exercising rights that any Canadian would have taken for granted a mere generation ago."

"I want justice for Mark Steyn. But I also want justice for all these little people, who have been crushed under the jackboot of 'political correction.' ”

Support Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld and First Amendment Rights

Passing on this request for funding for Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld's organization, The American Center for Democracy.  I made a donation, as freedom of speech is the very cornerstone of our open society, and that's what Dr. Ehrenfeld is defending.

"Dear Journalists, Blogers, Writers and Readers: Please help preserve our First Amendment rights - the cornerstone of American democracy!"

"Is preserving Freedom of Speech worth $10, $15, or $20.00 to you? Please consider making a small donation to the efforts of Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld, the force behind the recently enacted Rachel’s Law, New York’s Libel Terrorism Protection Act which was signed by New York Governor David Patterson on May 1, 2008. Dr. Ehrenfeld has struggled on behalf of all of us for the past four years to pass a bill protecting the First Amendment from foreign libel lawsuits. According to R. James Woolsey, former Director of the CIA:  'Rachel Ehrenfeld has done all serious students of this long war in which we are engaged a great service…' ”

"Simply click here: http://www.acdemocracy.org/support.php#donate to contribute. If everybody will make a small contribution, it will allow Dr. Ehrenfeld to continue her critically important work. This law is only the start of what is required to ensure that American authors and publishers can write and distribute works that deal with funding terrorism and publish work vital to our national security without fear of being driven to bankruptcy."

"Background -Following the publication of her book Funding Evil: How Terrorism is Financed - and How to Stop It, published in the U.S. in 2003, Dr. Ehrenfeld identified Khalid bin Mahfouz, a billionaire banker to the Saudi royal family as a leading terrorism financier.  In 2004, Bin Mahfouz responded by suing Ehrenfeld — not in the U.S., but in England, which is friendlier to libel claims because 23 copies of Funding Evil had entered England through on-line sales."

"Rather than back down, Ehrenfeld courageously chose to fight the false charges and worked to preserve the First Amendment rights that are the cornerstone of American democracy.  Rachel’s Law will protect American journalists and authors from foreign lawsuits that infringe on First Amendment rights. This law, however, is only the start of what is required to ensure that American authors and publishers can write and distribute works that deal with funding terrorism and publish work vital to our national security without fear of being driven to bankruptcy."

This is a terrific cause to support.  No joke, we are all at risk of being sued by those who want to stop us from even asking questions. Just ask the folks who were sued by the Islamic Society of Boston for asking questions about Saudi funding (true), links to Sheik Yusuf Qaradawi (true) and a questionable real estate  deal given to the ISB by the Boston Redevelopment Society (true, and a classic conflict of interest). New York has a Rachel's law.  Massachusetts and every other state needs its own Rachel's Law too.

 

What is Going on in Canada?!?!

I've paid some of attention to the bizarre goings-on of the Human Rights Commission (HRC) up in Canada.  First Ezra Levant, editor of The Western Standard was sued for publishing the Mohammed cartoons last year and an excerpt from Steyn's best-selling book, America Alone.  Next, the HRC went after Steyn, an now, now six conservative bloggers have been sued, including Kate McMillan of Small Dead Animals and Kathy Shaidle of  Five Feet of Fury.  I'd call the HRC tribunals are the new Inquisition, except I bet the Inquisition courts were more rational and accountable. 

Jill at Business of Life has a great blog post about the disgracfeul actions of the HRC, with lots of background info. A she says, "The circus that's going on in Canada would be amusing but for the fact the Canadian right to free speech is being imperiled by kangaroo courts known as Human Rights Commissions where truth is no defense and due process rights don't exist."

We take our freedom of speech for granted in the U.S., but our values and rights aren't universally shared, even among other modern Western nations.   Meanwhile, the Canadian Six have to defend themselves, while their accusers are on the taxpayers' dime.  I hope some big law firm in Canada takes this on pro-bono and countersues Richard Warman.  Meanwhile, the bloggers need help to fight back. Help defend free speech and please make a contribution to their legal funds.