The Death Of Free Speech

THE DEATH OF FREE SPEECH

"Evil does seek to maintain power by suppressing the truth. Or by misleading the innocent." First officer Spock, USS Enterprise, star-date 5029.5

...And so it begins. The effort to dismantle the basic freedoms guaranteed in Western Civilization are accelerating in earnest. The European Union is under direct attack from Muslims demanding...yes, DEMANDING, that the West adopt a policy of silencing critics of Islam. Yet, in what can only be described as a shocking turn of events, one of the first successful acts of suppressing free speech has occurred in...Colorado? Ye who mock God should be very careful who you crawl into bed with...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will ask the European Union countries to amend laws regarding freedom of expression in order to prevent offensive incidents such as the printing of blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and the production of an anti-Islam film by a Dutch legislator, sources in the Interior Ministry told Daily Times on Saturday.

What! No mention of the Babylon Mystery Orchestra CD "Axis Of Evil?" I tell you its just not fair the way they go about choosing who constitutes the leading offenders of Islamo-blasphemy! It's not really about who says the most "Inconvenient truths" about Islam. It's all about who you know. I'm feeling so rejected.

They said that a six-member high-level delegation comprising officials from the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Law would leave Islamabad on Sunday (today) for the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium and explain to the EU leadership the backlash against the blasphemous campaign in the name of freedom of expression. The delegation, headed by an additional secretary of the Interior Ministry, will meet the leaders of the EU countries in a bid to convince them that the recent attack on the Danish Embassy in Pakistan could be a reaction against the blasphemous campaign, sources said.

Ahh yes. The "I wouldn't blow up your embassy if your country didn't allow the publication of blasphemous Muhammad cartoons" excuse. Kind of reminds you if that line in the movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" where Paul Newman exclaims: "If he'd just pay me what he's spending to make me stop robbing him, I'd stop robbing him." But alas, it gets better. Our Muslim friends go on to threaten more violence in the event that their demands go unfulfilled.

They said that the delegation would also tell the EU that if such acts against Islam are not controlled, more attacks on the EU diplomatic missions abroad could not be ruled out.

Strong words to be sure. So when are we going to start believing these people mean what they say? In this case it was the Danish Embassy that they blew up, killing six people. Yet they have the audacity to claim that it is they, the Muslim population, that are the victims.

'It isn't just the people of Pakistan that feel they have been harassed by what your newspaper has begun, I'd like to know if your newspaper is satisfied with what it has done and what it has unleashed?' Fauzia Mufti Abbas, Pakistan's ambassador to Denmark

The ambassador's perspective on Muslim violence is not unique. It follows the same trajectory established by Muhammad himself, to justify removing criticism of his, and thereby Islam's, policies. His influence remains alive and well. Will the European Union fall prey to this foolish logic that sees Islam as a perpetual victim? Will Europe surrender one of the most precious freedoms in Western Civilization in hopes of thwarting future Muslim violence? Is there any "fight" left in our European friends or would they prefer to surrender and become dhimmi servants to their new Muslim overlords. Overlords such as Pakistani ambassador to Norway Rab Nawaz Khan. What? You haven't heard about the new Norwegian cartoon controversy? Lets remedy that.
A caricature of Muhammad was published in the Norwegian publication Adressearisen. Nothing new or original about that. What is new is that a high ranking official like ambassador Rab Nawaz Khan would go off the deep end and say this about it:

"Muslim societies all over the world will be insulted. Therefore it's a terrorist act,"

Wow! The very basic right of the freedom to express oneself is itself a terrorist act because someone will be insulted. In this case it is Muslims claiming to be offended, but it could have been anybody. Is not this the very reason we have the right of free speech? To guarantee that one cannot have his views restricted by those who would oppose them? But wait, it gets better. Like his Pakistani compatriots in the EU delegation, he too adds a threat to his statement. Fearing that news of the publication will cause "strong reactions" and cause people to "lose control." He then adds:

"People shouldn't forget that there's many Norwegian businesses in Pakistan"

It might remind you of another classic Hollywood scene from the movie "The Untouchables." When one of Capone's men notices that his victim has a little girl he tells him:

"Its Nice to have a family. A man should take care, see that nothin' happens to them."

Now that's good theatre! It would appear that Ambassador Rab Nawaz Khan is familiar with the scene as well. All people in the West should take note of the ambassadors use of the threat of violence as a tactic for it reveals much about not only Islam's intentions but also its character...and you would do well to know that they and Capone"s gangsters do operate exactly alike. But the thuggish and brutish street tactics of Capone and his like are only pale imitations of the tried and true method of extortion and violence that has been perfected by Islamic Jihadists for 1400 years! They have cleverly placed the blame for their future violence squarely on their victims failure to acquiesce to their demands. The only remaining question is how will we respond?
Well, I'm glad you asked, for now you can know the answer to one of the burning questions in the current American presidential campaign. As I am sure you are well aware, democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has indicated that he has a strong desire to talk with America's enemies without preconditions. He has particularly mentioned talking with infamous Israel hater Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of Iran. What everyone has wanted to know, of course, is what they would talk about. Now we know...
They will talk about the way Islam has been "misrepresented" and "misunderstood" and how these "blasphemous" expressions of "hatred" against Islam are terrorizing their citizens and causing them to react violently. Certainly Ahmadinejad will ask if President Obama would be willing to do something to control all of this. After all, as we have been shown, its all our fault. The fact that the EU is already being pressured to pass anti-blasphemy laws, and Barack Obama has made it plainly clear he values the opinions of people outside of the United States at least as much, if not more, than those of our own citizens, does not bode well for his acting in defense of our most important liberty. How long do you think it will take for him to call for some sort of hate speech legislation within this country to restrict criticism of Islam?
Unfortunately he doesn't have to look far for advice for dealing with this situation. Across the border in Canada they have something called the "Canada Human Rights Commission" which is a parallel legal system to the Canadian courts that is unrestrained by such arcane and outmoded concepts as due process, presumption of innocence and free speech. They have just recently dismissed a case presented before them involving conservative writer Mark Steyn and the respected Maclean's Magazine. In an article titled "The Future Belongs to Islam," Steyn claimed that Muslims are on the verge of dominating Europe and the West because of a demographic shift. The article claims that their greater numbers will eventually allow Muslims to dominate Western countries. The article goes so far as to quote a European Imam who allegedly said Muslims are reproducing like "mosquitoes." The Canadian Islamic Congress had argued that by publishing the article the magazine exposed Muslims to hatred and contempt.
Though the the Tribunal dismissed this particular case one has to ask why such a Commission exists at all? They bear too much resemblance to such entities as the "culture ministries" that exist in Islamic countries, such as Iran, to monitor and CONTROL the media. Perhaps when they meet, President Ahmadinejad will share some tips with President Obama on how to get such a thing implemented here on the United States. I know some of you may think this is extreme but to a certain extent, it is already starting.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives made it clear that a bill by Rep. Mike Pence (R.-Ind.) to outlaw the "Fairness Doctrine" (which a liberal administration could use to silence Rush Limbaugh, other radio talk show hosts and much of the new alternative media) would not see the light of day in Congress during '08. In ruling out a vote on Pence's proposed Broadcaster's Freedom Act, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.-CA.) also signaled her strong support for revival of the "Fairness Doctrine," which would require radio station owners to provide equal time to radio commentary when it is requested. Experts say that the "Fairness Doctrine," which was ended under the Reagan Administration, would put a major burden on small radio stations in providing equal time to Rush Limbaugh and other conservative broadcasters, who are a potent political force. Rather than engage in the costly practice of providing that time, the experts conclude, many stations would simply not carry Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and other talk show hosts who are likely to generate demands for equal time.
The "Fairness Doctrine" is really a misnamed policy. The fact is that radio stations are commercial enterprises that must generate income to survive. Conservative talk radio has been very successful at generating the audiences necessary for the stations survival. There hasn't been a lack of alternative voices for liberals and progressives out there. Far from it. The left has poured millions into getting the best talent on the air all over the country. But you can't force people to listen to it. Liberal talk radio has as much, or less, commercial appeal as Death and Black Metal music. They can get a lot of headlines for their antics but no audience. If the "Fairness Doctrine" were reinstated it would be the death of AM radio as broadcasters would be forced to broadcast shows that they knew would fail alongside the ones that they need to survive. Effectively killing half of their potential income. How fair is that? When directly asked if she supported reinstating the "Fairness Doctrine" Speaker Pelosi answered "yes" without hesitation. (Human Events.com)
Incidentally it is interesting how the reinstatement of the "Fairness Doctrine" is always described as an attempt to control "hate radio." Once again we see speech that offends someone being called offensive. In this case, it is purely political, yet all too often conservative talk radio is accused of being "hate speech." The founding fathers knew this when they insisted on instilling this basic right into the constitution. All speech that you don't agree with could be called hate speech. By describing your opponents rhetoric as "hate speech" you are just attempting to discredit them through name calling rather than dealing with the merits, or lack thereof, of their arguments. We must not tolerate the censoring or silencing of any of it! But I'm afraid we already have...
Signed into law last week by the Governor of Colorado, SB08-200 which has this damnable clause in it:

Section 8. 24-34-701. Publishing of discriminative matter forbidden. No person, being the owner, lessee, proprietor, manager, superintendent, agent, or employee of any place of public accommodation... shall publish, issue, circulate, send, distribute, give away, or display in any way, manner, or shape or by any means or method, except as provided in this section, any communication, paper, poster, folder, manuscript, book, pamphlet, writing, print, letter, notice, or advertisement of any kind, nature, or description THAT is intended or calculated to discriminate or actually discriminates against... SEXUAL ORIENTATION, marital status... in the matter of furnishing or neglecting or refusing to furnish to them or any one of them any lodging, housing, schooling, or tuition or any accommodation, right [marriage], privilege [adoption], advantage, or convenience... on account of... SEXUAL ORIENTATION, marital status... [which] is unwelcome or objectionable or not acceptable, desired, or solicited."

After 400 years of religious freedom for those who wanted to own and distribute Bibles on their own property in America, the Governor of Colorado has put an end to it. While churches are exempted for now, Christian schools, Christian book stores, private business, etc. are not. Once again we see freedom of speech disallowed because someone finds it offensive. In this case it is being sold as anti-discrimination legislation. But all laws discriminate against someone. Do not laws prohibiting rape and thievery discriminate against rapist and thieves? Every gain for someone is a loss for someone else. In this case, the loss is a right of free expression of Christian beliefs pertaining to homosexuality.
The Muslims seeking anti-blasphemy laws must be rejoicing. Certainly people who criticize Islam are just as guilty of discrimination by these standards as those who condemn homosexual behavior on religious moral grounds. The path to enacting restrictions on the criticism of Islam and its' adherent's behavior is now wide and clear. Homosexuals may think they have scored some sort of victory here but they have signed not only their own death warrant, but one for the rest of us as well. Homosexuals, like Christians, Jews, dogs, and free speech are offensive to Muslims. Muslims don't just condemn homosexual behavior...they kill homosexuals! Remember when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said "there are no gays in Iran." Where do you reckon they went? Unfortunately for the homosexual lobby in this country, they are not nearly as vicious and threatening as the Jihadists. Soon homosexuals will be able to trade their "perceived" discrimination at the hands of a forgiving Christianity who sought to redeem them, for a real discrimination at the hands of Muhammad's feral adherents. They do not offer repentance and redemption. They will simply kill them. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is even under the impression that in Iran, he has killed them all. One of the major enablers of that, or any genocide, is the suppression of the ability to criticize the actions, policies, or simply the belief system that would lead to such behavior. That is the result of stifling free speech...death! And there will be plenty of death to go around.
Consider it a fine example of how no one truly gains when someone else is unjustly deprived of their freedom. When you refuse to stand up to bullies and false grievances you only postpone the damage that will be done to you, not prevent it. It just goes to show that cowards always get what they fear most. And you know what? They deserve it too!