Atlas Shrugs

Chilling

The future under the left is dark ...... a very dark age. This latest challenge to freedom of speech speaks volumes about Obama's thuggery and gangsta style bullying. Remember this is the guy that sued to get everyone off the ticket so that he could run unopposed because he previously ran against an actual opponent and he lost in a landslide.

There is NO DOUBT in my mind that Obama and his corrupt political operative in Chicago were behind the unsealing of the Jack Ryan's  records of the divorce which  were sealed at their mutual request. Barack Obama's backers emailed reporters about the divorce controversy, but refrained from on-the-record commentary about the divorce files. Ryan resigned. Obama took the field.

Obama has never gotten ahead on his work or merit, his signature is backroom fixes and skulduggery.

The Obama camp tries to suppress a campaign ad and university archives linking the candidate to a '60s terrorist who hosted his first campaign fundraiser. Is he being "swiftboated," or is this a cover-up? (IBD oped)

Kurtz, btw, is a well respected scholar. Kurtz gained national attention when Kurtz had the door "slammed in his face by the University of Illinois at Chicago which first consented - then flatly refused - to allow Kurtz to see the records of the most important post Obama ever held before becoming US Senator - i.e., chairman of the "Chicago Annenberg Challenge" committee.  Obama was its chairman - handpicked by the person who started that committee, the same person who was responsible for the committee's endowment of $49.2 million which was earmarked for the schools of Chicago." (more here)

Stanley Kurtz's Fairness Doctrine Preview   [Guy Benson] NRO hat tip Evan Sayet

[...]

One female caller, when pressed about what precisely she objected to, simply replied, "We just want it to stop!" Another angry caller was asked what "lies" Kurtz had told in any of his reporting on Barack Obama. The thoughtful response? "Everything he said is dishonest." The same caller later refused to get into "specifics." Another gentleman called Kurtz "the most un-American person" he'd ever heard. Several of the callers did not even know Stanley's name, most had obviously never read a sentence of his meticulous research, and more than simply read verbatim from the Obama talking points.

As Rosenberg repeatedly pointed out that Team Obama had been offered the opportunity to take part in the conversation, the agitated masses adapted their argument to suggest it was outrageous to request an interview from the Obama campaign in the thick of the DNC. Delivering the line of the night, Rosenberg countered, "The Obama national headquarters is just down the street from here. They obviously have the time to send out these angry emails, but they can't walk a few blocks to our studios?"

Throughout the open-line segments, Rosenberg and Kurtz wore incredulous expressions. The hostile callers were so bereft of any legitimate argument, there was little to do but sit back and marvel at what was going on.

The experience was surreal, amusing, and chilling. In a matter of hours, a major national campaign had called on its legions to bully a radio show out of airing an interview with a legitimate scholar asking legitimate political questions. Coupled with the Obama campaign's recent attempts to sic the DOJ on the creators of a truthful political advertisement —which also happened to feature Obama's relationship with an unrepentant terrorist— last night's call to action represents an emerging pattern. Any criticism of Obama's unknown past is to be immediately denounced as a "smear," and the messenger is to be shut down at all costs.

Stanley Kurtz is poring through mounds of documents (access to which was initially blocked) in a public university's library that (a) establish a deeper link between a major party presidential nominee and a man who is proud of bombing US government buildings, and (b) shed light on said candidate's brief, unexplored executive experience. It's entirely understandable why the Obama campaign would prefer that the files remain out of the public eye until at least November 5, but Kurtz's careful research is completely within the bounds of reasonable inquiry. One might even argue it's vital that a man who may be the next leader of the free world be thoroughly vetted.

UPDATE: Co-blogger Maggie provided an MP3 of the radio show exposing the Obama Ayers link that Obama tried to silence. 

This is the podcast URL for Milt Rosenberg's Extension 720 last night with Stanly Kurtz (hat tip Tommy)

ANTI-OBAMA BLOG SHUT DOWN: RELEASE THE COLB!

Texas Darlin who, along with myself, has been doing seminal work on exposing the forgery of Obama's certificate of live birth has been suspended. Her blog is down. Silenced. I don't know what happened.

Texas Darlin pursued the faked COLB after I broke the story here. She was one of the few courageous  blogs brave enough to publish the bombshell revelations of Obama's obfuscation and strange skulduggery. We took a ton of blogblowback. But why kill the messenger? The COLB is a forgery. Why shut her up? Why shut her down? WTF?  RELEASE THE COLB ALREADY!

Texas Darlin is one of the few blogs doing the hard work in reporting the news the media refuses to touch.  I will keep you posted.

Here last post (that I saw earlier today):

Quick Note to a Few Obsessed Bloggers

August 10, 2008 · 3 Comments

I decided to turn this comment into a quick post, then I’ll toggle it down so the IMPORTANT stuff continues to get featured.

---

I think it’s amusing that some bloggers (unnamed here, tryin to keep it classy) are STILL obsessing over the nuances in Techdude’s report vs. Polarik’s report, and other nonsense.

They don’t get it.

The COLB was faked. Keep reading →

UPDATE: From Free Republic:

This is Google’s cache of http://texasdarlin.wordpress.com/2008/08/10/breaking-barry-soetoros-birth-certificate-in-republican-hands/. It is a snapshot of the page as it appeared on 10 Aug 2008 12:12:01 GMT. The current page could have changed in the meantime. Learn more »

UPDATE: I see the commenters are say9ng you need a password but you never needed a passwword. Something is up. Texas Darlin did not make her blog private.

UPDATE: Texas is back. REFRESH! Seems it was nothing ............... the pro Hillary blog is back.

CAIR LASHES TYSON: CALLS AMERICANS ISLAMOPHOBES

Unindicted co-conspirator CAIR is lashing out at Americans for patriotism and pride. CAIR is frothing at the mouth at Tyson's submission to .... America.

CAIR uses every means necessary to speed the institution of sharia in America. Why don't they go back to where they got the money from to bring all these lawsuits against the tellers of truth. And why do media outlets give CAIR the imprimatur of legitimacy? Why do they always cite their hate America jihad propaganda. CAIR should be ostracized and made into a pariah - like the KKK? Stop talking to CAIR, they do not represent Muslims, they represent the enemy of our great country, Isalmic jihad. There are myriad other Muslim organizations they should be talking to,, ie Zuhdi Jasser.

Islamophobia: a healthy fear of Islamic jihad.

CAIR calls critics of initial Tyson’s Labor Day dumping “Islamophobes!” Refugee Resettlement Watch

It was only a matter of time before the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) got in on the Tyson’s Labor Day debacle and said hate websites stirred things up and that you, who called and wrote to Tysons and posted many comments all over the world wide web, are Islamophobes!  Remember what I said the other day:

Next thing you know he will say we are all “Islamophobes”…

Wear the label proudly.   

This is from Business Week, where CAIR whacks Tyson’s Food for changing its mind and responding to the majority of workers wishes to reinstate the Labor Day holiday:

Muslim civil rights advocates criticized Tyson Foods, and a union official said the company’s response was disingenuous.

“This wasn’t something imposed. It seems that this backtracking would be the result of the backlash from anti-Muslim hate (Web) sites and Islamophobes on the Internet,” said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for Washington D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Stuart Appelbaum, president of the union headquartered in New York, said he was surprised by the reaction to the holiday change.

“I would have thought that people would have been more sensitive and sympathetic to the concern to the members of our community, who want to celebrate their religious faith,” he said. “It’s a little disingenuous to say that they (Tyson) were responding to employee concerns. The proposal came from workers themselves.”

Calling names is how groups like CAIR operate and they find it works for them in Washington among the politically correct uber-educated, but it won’t work out among real Americans!  What CAIR doesn’t get yet is that Americans see through this for what it is and are willing to speak up nonetheless!   Afterall, we aren’t Europe!

Endnote: I wonder if CAIR is looking into that Shelbyville Somali rampage as a hate crime—after leaving mosque Muslim attacks a woman in a Baptist Church—gotta be some hate there.

"SCORPION STING" OF RANDOM HOUSE SUBMISSION TO ISLAM

Read more FREE THINKING from Diana West on on the Random House capitulation to Islam over at Town Hall:  Free Speech Jilted by Muhammad Romance Novel 'Warpath'

And so it was after Random House consulted "security experts and Islam scholars" -- possibly the same ones who urged the U.S. government never again to use the words "Islamic" or "jihad," but I digress. Thomas Perry, deputy publisher at Random House Publishing Group, said the company received "cautionary advice not only that the publication of this book might be offensive to some of the Muslim community, but also that it could incite acts of violence by a small, radical segment."

So, Perry, by all means, just give in to this thuggish blackmail. In fact, why not just stop publishing altogether?

And then - check out Bostom's jewel of a post  on the "Jewel of Media:

Raden Adjeng Kartini: Debasing Her Memory

Having just read the Prologue (available  here, without irony, at a website whose name ends with “Trashy Books”) to Sherry Jones “The Jewel of Medina,” one hopes (against hope) that perhaps the whole “fatwa” imbrogliohas been manufactured by Random House to jettison this idiotic “novel.”

There are so many layers of irony and tragedy to this story, epitomized most of all by the feckless Ms. Jones who not only romanticizes pedophilia (as observed aptly by Diana West), and polygamy, but seems utterly unaware that she is doing so having adopted in her own warped fashion—albeit, not “deferentially” enough—an apologetic narrative for Islam’s foundational (and living) debasement of women. Thus her “narrative” dramatization has Ali (who became the fourth “Rightly Guided Caliph, revered by Shi’a) utter to a “nervous and faint” Muhammad, “Wives are easily acquired. You will find another child-bride.”

For the hadith sources of this sacralized pedophilia, see the following:

 

Sahih Muslim, Book 008, Number 3311:

 

‘A’isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) married her when she was seven years old, and she was taken to his house as a bride when she was nine, and her dolls were with her; and when he (the Holy Prophet) died she was eighteen years old.

 

 

Sahih Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 62, Number 88:

Narrated ‘Ursa:

The Prophet wrote the (marriage contract) with ‘Aisha while she was six years old and consummated his marriage with her while she was nine years old and she remained with him for nine years (i.e. till his death).

Sahih Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 73, Number 151:

Narrated ‘Aisha: I used to play with the dolls in the presence of the Prophet, and my girl friends also used to play with me. When Allah’s Apostle used to enter (my dwelling place) they used to hide themselves, but the Prophet would call them to join and play with me. (The playing with the dolls and similar images is forbidden, but it was allowed for ‘Aisha at that time, as she was a little girl, wo had not yet reached the age of puberty.) (Fateh-al-Bari page 143, Vol.13)

 

Sahih Muslim, Book 031, Number 5981:

‘A’isha reported that she used to play with dolls in the presence of Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) and when her playmates came to her they left (the house) because they felt shy of Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him), whereas Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) sent them to her

The ugly living legacy of such pedophilia persists in Islamic communities across the globe from Yemen, to Afghanistan—to Britain. Here is a description of the “tender, romantic, and deeply spiritual experience”—notwithstanding Jones’ invented, hagiographic “biography” of Aisha—from a contemporary female Muslim child “bride” in London:

 

“I told them I was terrified and desperate, that I was just a child and far too young to get married. I pleaded with them to help me escape, but no one saw anything wrong in what was happening. I begged my husband not to marry me, but he told me I had no choice.”Despite being two years below the British age of consent, Ayse was moved into her cousin’s family home, where she lived openly as his wife in the local Kurdish Turkish community. “I was all alone in a foreign country, unable to speak the language,” she said. “I was trapped. Until I escaped, I didn’t even realize that marrying at 14 wasn’t legal in Britain: everyone I knew in London regarded it as normal.” In the two years before she reached 16, the sex Ayse was coerced into having with her cousin was statutory rape. “It was disgusting, awful,” she said. “I used to scream and cry all night. I was too young, too tender. It killed me inside. Life became meaningless.”

Finally, Sherry Jones would do well to read the advocate of Indonesian women’s rights Raden Adjeng Kartini’s “Letters of a Javanese Princess,” (New York, A. A. Knopf, 1920,) to understand the ramifications of the “sacralized” polygamy (“sister wives,” Jones calls them!)  also glorified in her drivelous “The Jewel of Medina.” Here are Kartini’s poignant observations (from pp. 41-42)—still sadly relevant in our own era—ignored, and debased by Jones’ egregious novel:

“How can I respect one who is married and a father, and who when he has had enough of the mother of his children, brings another woman into his house, and is, according to the Moslem law, legally married to her? And who does not do this? And why not? It is no sin, and still less a scandal….The Moslem law allows a man to have four wives at the same time. And though it be a thousand times over no sin according to the Moslem law and doctrine, I shall forever call it a sin…And can you imagine what hell-pain a woman must suffer when her husband comes home with another—a rival—whom she must recognize as his legal wife? He can torture her to death, mistreat her as he will; if he does not choose to give her back her freedom, then she can whistle to the moon for her rights. Everything for the man, and nothing for the woman is our law…”

THE LEFT THREATENS LAWFARE IF WE EXPOSE OBAMA

  A new left-wing organization "will use any means necesssary" to see that  Barack Hussein Obama becomes president.  They are  threatening major donors who contribute to Republican causes with lawfare if they fund efforts to expose the truth about Obama.

Ha!

This would be funny if it weren't so dangerous. Why funny? Because major donors on the right do not donate to the army of right leaning blogs and grass roots efforts that are doing all the work in exposing Obama for what he is - the  corrupt, marxist Nation of Islam candidate. We work for nothing. We have no George Soros, no moveon. org NO ONE giving us dough ! That's how the left operates, like a greasy corrupt political machine (think Obama and Chicago ). We are working for free for the greater good (how's that for marxism turned on its ear?).

Individuals, like me, are  working our tails off fighting to save America and the free world from the manchurian candidate. There is no dough. That's the problem with the right! Major donors give to conservative think tanks who, by and large, don't do jack and have become so politically correct, they've rendered themselves useless and ineffective.

Wanna piss off the left? Contribute to Atlas and help me expose the fraud that is Obama (use my email address - atlasshrugs2000@aol.com ) GO HERE! I won't tell :)

Once again the brownshirts shred freedom of speech, the basic tenet of our great republic in its aggressive pursuit of liberal fascism:

Pro-Obama Group Threatens Republican Donors  Jim Meyers

  A new left-wing organization that wants to help elect Barack Obama president is sending letters to nearly 10,000 major donors who contribute to Republican causes, threatening them with potential legal problems if they finance conservative groups.

The nonprofit organization, Accountable America, is even offering a $100,000 reward for information that leads to the criminal conviction or fines of at least $10,000 for violations of campaign finance laws or other statutes by a conservative group, according to The New York Times.

Accountable America is led by Tom Matzzie, former Washington director of the liberal activist group MoveOn.org, and its research director is Judd Legum, who served that role in Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

Matzzie called the organization’s effort “going for the jugular.” He told The Times, "We want to stop the Swift Boating before it gets off the ground.”

The warning letter being sent to potential donors “is intended as a first step, alerting donors who might be considering giving to right-wing groups to a variety of potential dangers, including legal trouble, public exposure and watchdog groups digging through their lives,” The Times reports.

If a conservative group do run ads attacking Obama, Matzzie says his group plans to run ads countering it exposing the donors behind the anti-Obama message.

Matzzie’s group has so far raised only $200,000, but he said he hopes to raise more than $500,000 by next week and $2 million overall.

Republican strategist Chris LaCivita doubts the group will succeed in scaring off donors, saying “they’re not going to be intimidated by some pipsqueak on the kooky left.” Matzzie previously headed the Campaign to Defend America, which has run ads against Republican presidential candidate John McCain in Ohio and Pennsylvania. 

Google in the Tank for Obama and Now Yahoo

We knew Google was doing everything to defeat McCain and support Obama going so far as to shut down anti-Obama blogs. 

But it appears Yahoo is just as corrupt and underhanded. Liberal fascism. Jan has an anonymous Yahoo account. He gets email from both McCain and Obama.  The Obama e-mails go into my normal in box.  They tag McCain’s and stick them in the Spam box.

It is almost a statistical impossiblity for a Republican in any race to win. It's a miracle.

The google censorship piece that ran in the New York Sun does not reflect just how large the censorship of anti-Obama websites was/is. I have received emails from bloggers and journalists who have been hit as well.

Add the blog, "Reading Between the Lines," written by Kenneth E. Lamb, to the list of those shut down by the Obama campaign. I don't belong to the aforementioned ring, so this is much more widespread than just a single ring; it shows the attack was on every blog the Obama foot-soldiers could find. Here is my story, to add to the evidence against the Obama campaign: "Barack Obama's authoritarian foot-soldiers shut down this blog"

Apparently, Political Gateway was dropped from Google News as a news source after a columnist named Andy Maritn, from Obama's home town, wrote articles questioning his citizenship. Google's letter to Political Gateway said that because the site did not have a large staff they are dropping it. The news on PG is from AFP and UPI.

This does not surprise me.  Atlas never appears on google searches. Unless your google email alert is actually Atlas Shrugs, my work never appears but the most left wing sites are pinged, pinged, pinged.

Cinnamon Stillwell, San Francisco columnist, writer wrote me:

My blog was also flagged as a spam site late last week and I was unable to post anything for about two days. Then I guess Google deemed me kosher because everything was back up and running. .... I didn't think much of it until I read about all the bloggers it's happened to. It's certainly hard to imagine this is just a coincidence.

If you've been blocked, flagged or deleted, let me know.

UPDATE:  Anne of the Backyard Conservative was blocked last Thursday too

I assume because I run anti-Obama stuff every day.

UPDATE: Add Baldheaded Geek to the list here

Shariah Finance Watch is Back

Allyson Rowen Taylor of Sharia Finance Watch is back and running. If you recall, her blog was deleted (I posted about it here).

Allyson wrote me this:

We have left our old domain as we felt we need a place that we could openly express and post the issues that are important to the fight against Shariah Finance while educating the public about shariah at the same time.  It's simply a move to a permanent, more protected location, in the same home with Andy Bostom and Alyssa Lappen.  Other blogs may want to move at this time, to locations where they can protect themselves from possible censorship in the event of "O" winning the election and the censorship laws that may follow. This was a real concern for us and we felt that this was the right time, to move on.

We had serious problems with the export and import, and  it took several attempts and the xml file that had to be broken into pieces. We are finally up at our new home, www.shariahfinancewatch.org, and looking forward to sharing, communicating and educating our readers, and working with fellow bloggers against Shariah.

www.Sharianfinancewatch.org blog is a project of the Center for Security Policy's project to educate the public about the risks of Shariah-Compliant Finance, and please ckeck our newsletter and register to receive updates on Shariah Compliant and Terror Finance. AND to top it off, we will be introducing  the stopshariahnow.org website, which will re-launch with new content in September 2008!

She has created a new blog and it's up and running here.

Pelosi Scrubs Bad Book Reviews at Amazon

Pelosi adheres to her illiberal fascism in every aspect of her life. It seems she wields her totalitarian "fairness doctrine" far and wide. Lone Pony is reporting that she is scrubbing Amazon of bad reviews - were there any other kind?

Nancy Pelosi had over 100  BAD reviews of her failed  book disappear from Amazon's site yesterday! Ironically, the name of the book, "Know your Power" ... appropriate and is eerily Chavez-like.  She must have been inspired by Obama's meticulous scrubbing of his website, the surge, and google's removal of  images of his birth certificate.
Boy, they sure can clean for folks so dirty.
Ain't free speech grand.
Screenshot 1

CAIR DEALS YET ANOTHER BLOW TO FREE SPEECH

CAIR is gloating over the dhimmi ruling of San Francisco (need I say more?) libtard Judge Susan  Ilston against the courageous Michael Savage. Ilston was appointed by cigar stuffing Bill Clinton.
This is a terrible blow, a terrible blow, for freedom of speech lovers
. Of course, inindicted c0-conspirator CAIR is using freedom of speech to kill freedom of speech and in  typical Orwellian double spea, calls it a victory for free speech (!).  Worse yet, the king of litigation jihad is crying about law costs and begging for infidel dollars. I guess the 50 million the Saudis gave CAIR has been spent on suing airlines,  ordinary Americans and scaring the folks.

Based on this ruling, shouldn't CAIR's lawfare aginst Savage be dismissed as well?

Add another victim to the CAIR Censorship roundup.

From my daily CAIR alert:

We hope you will join us in celebrating what many are calling a huge victory for freedom of speech. Last year during a nationally-syndicated radio broadcast, host Michael Savage screamed attacks on Muslims, Islam and the Quran.

Savage's anti-Muslim rant included: "I don't wanna hear anymore about Islam. I don't wanna hear one more word about Islam. Take your religion and shove it up your behind. I'm sick of you."

To listen to Savage’s anti-Muslim rant, click here.

As you know, CAIR's response to these attacks, coupled with the efforts of other like-mined organizations, cost Savage advertisers like Sears, Sam’s Club and GEICO Insurance. He told reporters that he lost more than $1 million in revenue.

In response to our anti-hate campaign, Savage sued CAIR. He claimed that our replaying of his bigoted remarks infringed on his "copyright." We simply believed people had a right to hear and judge his hate-filled words for themselves.

THE GOOD NEWS: In a ruling issued on Friday, Federal Judge Susan Illston dismissed Savage’s lawsuit against CAIR.

In her ruling, Judge Illston wrote that the lawsuit Savage filed was "a dispute about...the protections of the First Amendment, protections upon which plaintiff (himself) relies for his livelihood and the airing of his radio program." Judge Illston also implied that the lawsuit may have been brought in an effort to "harass" CAIR.

See: District Court Spanks Michael Savage Suit

We could not have won this case without the help we have received from supporters like you. Despite this legal victory, our work continues. Savage's attorney has been quoted in the media as saying they plan to file another complaint against us.

Freedom is not free. Justice does not defend itself. Lawsuits are costly. This case, part of defending the image of Islam, has channeled resources away from our normal civil rights and advocacy work. Michael Savage's malicious words are not only directed at Muslims. He has issued on-air insults against immigrants, African-Americans, women, and most recently autistic children, who he called "brats" and "morons.”

REDLASSO CRUSHED: VICTORY FOR FREE SPEECH KILLERS

Redlasso is the indispensible  video service I (and myriad bloggers) use to capture those "special" moments in the media. Well, you know the free speech haters were going to kill it. This runs along the same lines of the "fairness doctrine". Redlasso has  been shut down. Here's the offcial press release: Download Redlasso_to_Stop_Access.pdf

Let me tell my readers - redlasso was my single most important and effective tool. I just received this (I think I am going to throw up)

To Our Loyal Friends and Users:

We would like to thank you for your continued support of Redlasso.  You have been essential to making Redlasso a household name online.  Unfortunately, due to the legal actions taken against Redlasso by two networks, we are left with no alternative but to suspend access to our video search and clipping Beta site FOR THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE.  The networks have provided a big blow to the blogger community's right to exercise the first amendment and comment on newsworthy events.  It is anti-Web.

During this service suspension, we will continue our conversations with content providers, with the goal of establishing formal partnerships that will quickly help us restore access to the Beta site.  When we return, we will let you know immediately.

For our business and Radio To Web clients, Redlasso will continue to operate and provide those services to you without interruption.

Apparently:

We are very disappointed in the actions of select networks. We believe we have always acted within the law and have been respectful of the networks’ rights. Unfortunately, they have forced our hand and are denying the blogging community access to the Redlasso platform that beneficially tracks the usage of newsworthy clips across the Web,” said Ken Hayward, CEO of Redlasso. “Redlasso’s goal is to develop a platform that provides content owners and bloggers a viable solution to tracking and monetizing content online, not to engage in lawsuits. In the eight months the Beta site has been in operation, we have built wide brand awareness and equity amongst the blogger and media communities. The wide spread use of our tools and platform demonstrates that the Redlasso model is a simple and elegant solution for all content owners to track and monetize content usage on the Web; content that would otherwise be untraceably spread across the Internet and used for free.”

DEMOCRAT CONGRESS: HIDES, RESTRICTS COVERAGE - FREE SPEECH UNDER ATTACK AGAIN

Why wouldn't Democrats want the American people, the folks,  to see them at work in Washington. This is an affront to every tenet of AN American government by the people, for the people .... yes, yes the little people.

This is works in tandem with the Democrat's venal Fairness Doctrine that seeks to shut down the few outlets right of center voices have to express their views. No radio station owner is going to run content that no one ants to hear (see Air America for the abject failure of liberal talk radio. Owners will switch formats. Business in business to make money. hello. )  Liberal fascism.

YOU CAN"T POST THIS!

Breaking News: Free Speech Under Attack Congressman John Culberson hat tip David

Today House Republican Leader John Boehner issued a statement indicating that Democrats are seeking to quash the right of Members of Congress to have free speech. According to the statement, the Democrats are looking at restricting Member content on websites outside the house.gov domain. Congressman Culberson is quickly becoming a "real time representative" by posting on Twitter.com, where he sends regular updates from the House floor and the halls of Congress, and on Qik.com, where he films and posts video updates on the Internet. This new technology allows him to bypass the mainstream media and shine sunlight into the darkest corners of Congress. If the Democrats strong-arm this rule, he would no longer be able to use these websites and our fundamental right to free speech will be taken away.

The following is Mr. Boehner's statement:

I’m writing to alert you to an attack on free speech that is making its way through Congress. This attack, which should concern activists of all political affiliations across the ideological spectrum, comes in the form of a new congressional rule that would prohibit Americans from viewing content published by Members of Congress on websites that are not “approved” by the Committee on House Administration, the panel that creates rules governing the internal operations of the U.S. House.

Millions of Americans today utilize free, unregulated and uncensored websites like YouTube on a daily basis to not only obtain information from their elected leaders about what’s going on in their government, but to also give feedback and easily share that information with others. The advent of new media technology has empowered American citizens with real-time information about the policy debates and actions being undertaken by Congress. This has increasingly forced Congress to become more transparent and made it easier for American citizens to hold their elected leaders accountable.

The Committee on House Administration is considering a new rule that could bring this trend to a screeching halt. The Committee is considering the adoption of new rules that would require outside websites such as YouTube to comply with House regulations before Members of Congress could post videos on them. Under the proposal, the House Administration Committee would develop a list of “approved” websites, and Members of Congress could post content only such websites.

If the proposed rule is adopted, the free flow of information over the Internet between Americans and their representatives will be significantly curtailed. Americans who currently use free websites like YouTube to obtain uncensored daily information about congressional policy debates will instead be forced to go to websites “approved” by the House Administration Committee in order to continue getting such information. This would amount to new government censorship of the Internet, by a panel of federal officials that is neither neutral nor independent.

House Republicans, led by Reps. Vern Ehlers (R-MI), Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and Tom Price (R-GA), have expressed their opposition to this attack on Internet freedom and proposed an alternative solution that would allow Members of Congress to continue posting content at sites of their choosing. I will continue to keep you updated as this situation unfolds. 

UPDATE: Democrats strike again! Rep. Mick Capuano (D-MA), who calls the internet a "necessary evil." (more at Redstate hat tip Van)

Religious Defamation Resolutions Are Setting a Deadly Precedent

I can't be there but are any Atlas readers in the DC area available to cover this?

Backgrounder on Ezra's Washington Gig Blazing Fur blogspot (hat tip Sounder)

A Congressional Task Force for International Religious Freedom (TIRF) will hold an off-the-record briefing to discuss the "defamation of religions" resolutions at the United Nations' Human Rights Council and their impact on the freedoms of religion and expression. While Pakistan (on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Conference) has sponsored these resolutions at the UN to counter "Islamophobia" since 1999, the effect has been a dangerous increase in restrictions on the freedom of religion and expression throughout the world that go beyond traditionally accepted international standards. The briefing is open to the public and will discuss the implications of these resolutions and how concerns of "Islamophobia" can be addressed while maintaining fundamental international standards

The rest.

Liberal Fascism: PELOSI SUPPORTS CONTROLLED SPEECH

Speaker Pelosi made some stunning comments to a group of journalists yesterday regarding her support for the Fairness Doctrine:

“Do you personally support revival of the ‘Fairness Doctrine?’” I asked.

“Yes,” the speaker replied, without hesitation

Of course if this meant that the right would get equal time in and on the mainstream media, then the choke hold the media has in the big message and the national dialogue would forever change. And perhaps America would stay true to her fundamental values. NC, ABC, CBS, New York Times having to give eual time to every leftist position and slant would be the greatest thing that could happen to America. This sadly is not the case. The fairness doctrine would usher in a dark age. The American people have no clue what is going down.

The name itself is Randian "fairness doctrine". It is so Ellsworth Toohey. These folks are frightening, really scary.

 

Pelosi on 'Hush Rush,' and Filibustering FISA

by John Gizzi (more by this author)

The speaker of the House made it clear to me and more than forty of my colleagues yesterday 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.

At a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor yesterday, I asked Pelosi if Pence failed to get the required signatures on a discharge petition to get his anti-Fairness Doctrine bill out of committee, would she permit the Pence measure to get a floor vote this year.

“No,” the Speaker replied, without hesitation.  She added that “the interest in my caucus is the reverse” and that New York Democratic Rep. “Louise Slaughter has been active behind this [revival of the Fairness Doctrine] for a while now.”

Pelosi pointed out that, after it returns from its Fourth of July recess, the House will only meet for another three weeks in July and three weeks in the fall.  There are a lot of bills it has to deal with before adjournment, she said, such as FISA and an energy bill.

“So I don’t see it [the Pence bill] coming to the floor,” Pelosi said.

“Do you personally support revival of the ‘Fairness Doctrine?’” I asked.

“Yes,” the speaker replied, without hesitation

ISLAM'S ONSLAUGHTER ON FREE SPEECH

Islamists are channeling Karen Carpenter "we've only just begun" ...... Robert Spencer declares he will not submit. I am right there with you big boy

OIC: Combating "Islamophobia" top priority, working with Western governments to restrict free speech
[...]

Well, I will not submit. And I suspect there are a few others in the U.S. who won't either.

Free Speech Death Watch Update: "Speech of Secretary General at the thirty-fifth session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the organisation of the Islamic conference," from the OIC, June 18 (thanks to Paul):

In face of the adverse and mounting phenomenon of Islamophobia in the West, we placed this issue at the top of our priorities and preoccupations, while conducting a large-scale world-wide effort to confront it at four levels:

First: The official level of countries and governments of the West, where this phenomenon is rampant and wide-spread. We have exhorted the officials in these countries to assume their inherent legal responsibilities in order to stem this illegal trend in conformity with international and domestic laws which prohibit discrimination based on incitement to hatred towards individuals or groups because of their religion, race, or other grounds.

Second: The level of major international organizations, such as the United Nations General Assembly in New York or the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, as well as organisations concerned with Dialogue among Civilizations, or inter-religious and interfaith dialogue.

Third: Renowned academic institutions, intellectual and research centers, and think-tank circles.

Fourth: The level of the OIC Islamophobia Observatory, which we have established in order to monitor and document all manifestation of this scourge, and to deal with them in an interactive manner.

Taken together, this plan has proven its merit and we have been able to achieve convincing progress at all these levels mainly the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, and the UN General Assembly.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted similar resolutions against the defamation of Islam.

In confronting the Danish cartoons and the Dutch film “Fitna”, we sent a clear message to the West regarding the red lines that should not be crossed. As we speak, the official West and its public opinion are all now well-aware of the sensitivities of these issues. They have also started to look seriously into the question of freedom of expression from the perspective of its inherent responsibility, which should not be overlooked.

THE PISTACHIO RETURNS

WOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Go here for the back story.

The Return of Political Pistachio I don't scare easily, but when a threat is delivered to my house, accompanied by a broken window, and someone using a black marker on the bumper stickers on my truck, it is enough to make anyone nervous. The anonymous note specifically referred to my Political Pistachio blog and BTR show, called me a homo-phobe, and included a threat regarding the safety of my wife. That was enough to make me decide to shutdown permanently. Mrs. Pistachio, however, has scolded me, saying I am giving them exactly what they want. It was their goal to silence me. So, after increasing the level of my security system, with plans to add a surveillance system, I am returning to my blog, and BTR show. I will begin Monday with Andrea Shea King, and resume my normal nightly BTR schedule. This situation has made me more determined, and now the fire under me is hotter than ever! My only regret is that authorities are calling it "harassment" rather than a threat, and have added to the report "possible prank." God Bless, and thank you for the outpouring of support. Doug

Love the wife Dougy.

 

First they came for Steyn/Levant ... but they are only warming up

The terrible tragedy in this war is the basic understanding of the enemy. The premise is wrong and so everything that is subsequently deduced is wrong and dangerous. Terror front groups like CAIR should be exposed, indicted, and made a pariah by the society at large. Those on the front lines  of the quiet but deadly jihad should be revered. Instead, the courageous souls that should exalted and supported are relegated to the outer rings of the national discourse. Wafa, Ayaan, Warraq live under constant threat of death and must employ 24 hour security to stay alive.

 

Those that dare to speak out become victims of lawfare and vile smear campaigns: MARK STEYN IS LIKE A NEO-NAZI WAR CRIMINAL.

Looks like they tried to do to the Star (a usual supporter of Islamic bullying) what they did to Macleans/ Steyn at the Human Rights Commissions ...... but rest assured they are only warming up. There is a jihad against free speech.

Taboo topic sparks critical debate Kathy English The Star

I

n the month since the Star published its investigation into the secret world of polygamy in our community, reporter Noor Javed has braved a firestorm of criticism.

So too has the Star itself, with several complaints about Javed's groundbreaking articles about polygamy within the Muslim community in the GTA coming to the public editor's office. I've spent considerable time looking into these concerns and I think that the Star's reporting on this was accurate, fair and balanced.

I also believe it was a courageous act of journalism for Javed, a Muslim woman who has written illuminating articles for the Star in the past about her spiritual journey to Mecca to fulfill the holy Muslim pilgrimage called the hajj, and also about her choice to wear the Muslim head scarf, the hijab.

As a journalist and a "visible" Muslim who chose to expose evidence of polygamy within the GTA's Muslim community, Javed well knew she would come under fire. But she also believed that reporting on this controversial, "taboo" issue, which is clearly illegal in Canadian law, could spark critical debate among Canadians.

I, however, was surprised by the personal attacks against her. Javed's commitment to her faith has been questioned by other Muslims and some have even suggested it was improper for a Muslim reporter to report on this.

One "open letter" that came to my office, the Star's letters page, and is now circulating in the online blogosphere, accuses Javed of demonizing Islam itself. "If your intention was to spark debate on polygamy in the community then the Toronto Star was not the forum for it," the letter states. "There is already ample anti-Islamic sentiment in the world and it is not befitting for a Muslim to add to it.

"As a Muslim woman, you had an Islamic obligation, to defend this aspect of your faith, not to deliver a further blow to an already bruised community."

While many North American Muslims have widely, and sometimes justly, criticized the media for anti-Islamic bias in the days since 9/11,

Huh? Here English wusses out and attempts to bow -- the media never criticizes Isalm - hellooooo.  That's why you got slammed English. You can forget all those media outlets that printed the Danish cartoons?

I don't think the Star's reporting on polygamy was either anti-Islamic or unfair. Javed spent several months investigating this, talking to dozens of people including four local Muslim women who believe they have been victimized by polygamy. This has not been about "airing dirty laundry," as some have accused Javed of doing, but of airing these concerns.

Javed's reporting put the issue into context, explaining the perspective on polygamy of both the Muslim faith and Canadian law. She wrote that while polygamy is generally among the "last taboos" in Western society, it's practised in more than 850 societies worldwide, including within the fundamentalist Mormon community in Bountiful, B.C. She also spoke to several legal experts who believe polygamy will soon be forced to face a constitutional challenge.

But as Star columnist and editor emeritus Haroon Siddiqui also pointed out in a follow-up column to Javed's articles, those practising polygamy in Canada are breaking the law as it now stands: "Muslims are obliged to obey the law of the land where they live" he wrote.

Aly Hindy, the iman of Saluhuddin Islamic Centre who openly told Javed that he has "blessed" numerous polygamous unions, now accuses the Star of bias against the Muslim community. In an email to several hundred people, now posted online, Hindy's son, Ibrahim, states that the Star has an "agenda" to "caricature" the Muslim community and Hindy as "backwards, as anti-women and even anarchist ..."

Geert Wilders to Be Arrested?

Gates of Vienna has the jawdropper of the day. This is the latest in the war on the West - harassing and arresting the truth tellers. The war of attrition.

Geert Wilders fears he will be arrested soon when traveling abroad, due to his movie Fitna. Jordan is working on an international warrant for the arrest of the PVV leader in order to prosecute him. Last Monday the court in Amman found the complaint filed to be acceptable. Wilders expects that the court will soon appeal for an international warrant for his arrest, reports De Volkskrant. Jordan can possibly make a request through Interpol. Such an appeal can be fought by the Dutch government. It is also possible Jordan will ask individual nations visited by Wilders to extradite him. In any case, the Wilders' freedom of movement will be severely restricted. Wilders complains about the uncertainty. "One never knows when it will happen. My freedom of movement will be enormously limited and I cannot operate as a politician," according to Wilders in De Volkskrant. The risks are being mapped by the ministry of Foreign Affairs.

CENSORING FREE SPEECH Blogger arrests hit record high

The recent suspension of blogs here in America, the trials and lawsuit against Ezra Levant and Mark Steyn and the other bloggers in Canada and  the suppression and arrest of bloggers in totalitarian countries bodes most ill. Once a free country accepts censorship of free speech, nothing can be done or won without violence. We are entering a dark age.

BLOGGER ARRESTS HIT RECORD HIGH BBC

More bloggers than ever face arrest for exposing human rights abuses or criticising governments, says a report.

Since 2003, 64 people have been arrested for publishing their views on a blog, says the University of Washington annual report.

In 2007 three times as many people were arrested for blogging about political issues than in 2006, it revealed.

More than half of all the arrests since 2003 have been made in China, Egypt and Iran, said the report.

UPDATE: More censorship here in the US:

And now the Usenet Website Is Being Attacked By The Government? Astute Bloggers

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced on Tuesday that Verizon Communications, Time Warner Cable, and Sprint would "shut down major sources of online child pornography."

What Cuomo didn't say is that his agreement with broadband providers means that they will broadly curb customers' access to Usenet--the venerable pre-Web home of some 100,000 discussion groups, only a handful of which contain illegal material.

Time Warner Cable said it will cease to offer customers access to any Usenet newsgroups, a decision that will affect customers nationwide. Sprint said it would no longer offer any of the tens of thousands of alt.* Usenet newsgroups.

Verizon's plan is to eliminate some "fairly broad newsgroup areas."

It's not quite the death of Usenet (which has been predicted, incorrectly, countless times). But if a politician can pressure three of the largest Internet providers into censorial acquiescence, it may only be a matter of time before smaller ones like Supernews, Giganews, and Usenet.com feel the squeeze

Go read the whole thing at Astute Bloggers.

And don't miss this at the Gathering Storm:

It Begins - The Shutdown of the Free Internet by 2012

 

TELUS (formerly owned by Verizon) employees officially confirm that by 2012 ISP's all over the globe will reduce Internet access to a TV-like subscription model, only offering access to a small standard amount of commercial sites and require extra fees for every other site you visit.

These 'other' sites would then lose all their exposure and eventually shut down, resulting in what could be seen as the end of the Internet.

From I Power.

Dylan Pattyn, who is currently writing an article for Time Magazine on the issue, has official confirmation from sources within Bell Canada and is interviewing a marketing representative from TELUS who confirms the story and states that TELUS has already started blocking all websites that aren't in the subscription package for mobile Internet access. They could not confirm whether it would happen in 2012 because both stated it may actually happen sooner (as early as 2010). Interviews with these sources, more confirmation from other sources and more in-depth information on the issue is set to be published in Time Magazine soon.

 

Could this be the Net in 2012?

 

Read it all

Dear Mr. Siddiqui

Five Feet of Fury has a gorgeous response to the bullshit taqiya the "moderates" sling at the West (Siddiqui is a well known Israel basher at the Star and his reply is the standard one he gives to those who object to his columns.)

Kathy you have my admiration. Read it all here.

The difference between what the Nazis said about the Jews and what people today are saying about radical Muslims is...

What we're saying about radical Muslims is true.

To pretend otherwise is to perform the intellectual equivalent of hiding Nazis in your attic during World War II.

Whereas The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is a proven hoax (something millions of your fellow Muslims seem too stupid to figure out or too stubborn to admit), the many declarations of radical Muslims of their intent to take over the world are all too true -- they uttered those words themselves; have been doing so before your favourite punching bag, George Bush, was even born; and have been captured doing so on video.

Please present me with similar statements by Jews -- let alone Baha'i (that's the correct spelling btw).

You can't, can you?

(And an aside to Mr. Farber, assuming he really said what you claim he did -- should the unlikely day dawn when Baha'i fly stolen planes into buildings and incinerate 3000 people alive, or mutilate the genitals of millions of women, or slice up their little boys as part of "religious festivals", or take over a school and rape pre-pubescent girls in front of their classmates, then shoot them in the back as they try to run away, then plenty of us will be more than willing to hate them for it, and we won't be silenced either, especially not by an out of touch, would-be bully like Mr. Farber.)

Millions of us want to know: why do so many Muslims do things like that, Mr. Siddiqui?

And why don't more of your fellow Muslims condemn them, loudly, publicly and without the usual "buts" about Israel's or America's mostly imaginary equivalence? Now that would be a column worth writing.

You work from a false assumption, Mr. Siddiqui: that hate is bad.

Sometimes hatred is justified, even a duty.

If people hate Muslims, blame the likes of admitted terrorism supporter Mohammed Elmasry and his three law students dupes, who brought Maclean's to court, and, among other things, condemned Mark Steyn's use of "sarcasm" and "subtle intellectual arguments."

It's a sad commentary when even the so-called educated members of your "community" -- three law school graduates -- can't appreciate basic English literary devices that date back to Chaucer.

But then again, Muslims don't care much for books, do they?

Except for the Koran, which contains more hate speech than every issue of Maclean's published in the last hundred years put together.

(Now THAT would be an interesting case for the Human Rights Commission. I'm a free speech absolutist, but I'd love to see how a case calling the Koran "hate speech" would play out, what with all its calls to violence against "apes and pigs" , i.e. Christians and Jews.)

PS: you foolishly cited professor John "Who?" Miller's tedious, cliche ridden screed against Steyn. Speaking of "riddled with errors": did you know that the great journalism professor Miller accused Steyn of not "arguing in food [sic] faith"? (Have someone else in the newsroom explain his mistake to you...)

As well, the best critic Miller could find to slag Steyn is Johann Hari, a reporter who has previously written glowing essays about his casual homosexual encounters with neo-Nazis.

Here's what really going on here, Mr. Siddiqui: (go here and READ IT ALL).

UPDATE: Defend the bloggers. Go here.

Ezra has it all here.

OMG! ANOTHER SITE SUSPENDED!

Always on watch just alerted me that Sharia finance blog has been suspended. It's a wordpress blog not typepad. WTF is going on? I just posted this yesterday.

Frances is right:

1, Dependence upon a large institution makes you subservient to it.
2, Evil forces love large institutions, because they're easy to target and provide large payoffs if you can saddle and bridle them.

In other words, get off TypePad and get an independent site. Your own freedom of expression could well depend on it.

I've got to get to work on this ....... I suggest other bloggers do the same.

UPDATE: Always tells me more. It seems the two leading  sharia finance blogs were suspended this morning. Allyson Taylor's site went missing this morning.  Allyson's  is back now here.

But Sharia finance blog is gone, gone, gone  (for violations of TOS). Always reminds me that  Allyson has had trouble before.  She is banned from Google Alerts!   Always explained, "She wasn't at first, but somebody noticed her heavy-hitting info and instituted a ban."

These investigative bloggers deal in Islamic finance. Were the the posts on the Saudis  behind this?  We know how relentlessly the Sauds try to shut up those that expose their nefarious dirty dealings. Rachel Ehrenfeld could tell you a thing or two.

Bottom line is, this is a freakin nightmare.

UPDATE: It's part of the plan. DCat explains (hat tip Indigo Red)

Prophet Moe, PBUH ™

If you think things were ridiculous before, you ain't seen nuthin yet. Hitting yet again at the soft underbelly of the West, the soft jihadists go for the kill.

Why must Levant, Steyn, Savage et all shoulder the burden of upholding the basic tenets of our very civilization?

Mohammed, PBUH, TM Ezra Levant

I think another lawsuit is coming my way.

Today, my lawyer received this letter from a radical Muslim activist in Toronto. It's a Certificate of Registration of Copyright. He claims to have copyrighted the image of Mohammed, PBUH (which stands for "peace be upon him"). In other words, it's now Mohammed, PBUH, TM.

I checked it out on Industry Canada's copyright database and, sure enough, there it is: two weeks ago, Akhtar "Hector" Agha has indeed registered a "Restriction on Depiction of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)". It's right there on the government website.

I'm not sure, but I think "Hector" might be looking for a royalties payment for whenever I do something like post this picture.

 

At least I think that's what he's on about. But he has also addressed his letter to Stockwell Day, the Minister for Public Security. Frankly, when folks like Hector voluntarily report their activities to the minister in charge of fighting domestic jihad, that's what we call a freebie.

Hector has also asked that his concerns be forwarded to the "RCMP unit looking after Human Rights issues". Again, good thinking Hector. But the RCMP unit in charge of human rights issues is very, very busy right now looking into human rights issues.

But there is more to this document besides pure comedy. Look at the top right corner of the second page: it says OIC/Summit.

That's a reference to the "Organisation of the Islamic Conference", basically an all-Muslim UN. The OIC Summit this March, in Dakar, Senegal, had as its theme the censorship of Western criticism of radical Islam. Here's a story about it, featuring a glamour shot of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The theme of the conference was how to use the laws of Western countries against themselves.

That's what Hector is doing. He was pretty excited about the OIC's call for a soft jihad against the West. The boys in Al Qaida and Hamas will take care of the hard jihad -- actually blowing up Westerners. The soft jihadists -- like Mohamed Elmasry of the Canadian Islamic Congress, like Syed Soharwardy the bigoted Calgary imam, like Hector -- are actually more dangerous, because they use our own laws against us to weaken our country and erode our free way of life.

Censoring/ Silencing the blogs

My favorite Aussie blogger, Kevin at Aussie News and Views, is being forced by TYPEPAD to take down a huge chunk of his blog. This is bad. Very bad. I am on typepad too. Read his whole depressing account here. Here's what he writes me

Dear Pamela,
                    Please read the forwarded email I have just received from Typepad, It looks like my blogging days are over, that is of course if I want to report on the activities of Australia's new arse clown Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his Islamic cheer squad.

No coincidence the content objected to concerns the antics of these two blights on Australia and the world.

DANISH CARTOONS: JORDAN SUMMONS DANES FOR PROSECUTION

Who the frick do these people think they are? They have to get over themselves and their pathos. STFU already. Nobody gives a fig about your damn prophet and your complexes and your supremacism.  SHUT UP.  We will not bow. What do they have without their hate of the West? Absolutely nothing. 9/11 - the greatest thing that ever happen to Islam.

Denmark: Journalists face legal action in Jordan for cartoons ADNKRONOS hat tip rut

Copenhagen, 3 June (AKI) - A Jordanian organisation wants to prosecute the Danes responsible for the publication of cartoons considered blasphemous to the Islamic Prophet Mohammed.

According to Danish media reports, 11 Danes have been summoned to appear before the Jordanian public prosecutor to answer charges of blasphemy and threatening the national peace.

Summoned to Jordan?

The media reported the action a day after a bomb attack outside the Danish Embassy killed at least eight people and injured several others in Islamabad.

Palestinian homicide bomber (give 'em a state!)

Those facing legal action include the cartoonist who drew one of the Mohammed cartoons and editors from 10 of the 17 newspapers that reprinted them.

The long expected attack comes Wretchard (hat tip Larwyn

Railroading Steyn

And the New York Times guy says he "can't believe what he's witnessing".

Hmmmmmmmmmm.... can't see why, they help usher in this scourge. And if Obombshell gets into the office, expect the same - think un"Fairness" doctrine. Steyn blasts at NRO: (links hat tip s)

THERE'S A NEW SHARIF IN TOWN

The Canadian Islamic Congress lawyer says that freedom of speech is a "red herring". If it were, it would be on the endangered species list. And the New York Times guy says he "can't believe what he's witnessing".

With their usual low cunning, the "human rights" sheikhs chose a courtroom that only seats 40 people so a big crowd (including CBC reporters) were wedged up peering through the glass in the door until the head sheikh (a judge best known for fining the Knights of Columbus for declining to rent their hall for a lesbian wedding) said the pressed faces of the people were distracting her and shooed them away. Typical. A third-rate bureaucracy that tells everyone from McDonald's to Maclean's magazine how to run their affairs can't even organize a show trial with minimal competence.

Pela tried!

Maybe the folks who can't get in should file a "human rights" complaint against the "human rights" tribunal for denying them the human right to attend a human rights trial. Say what you like about Saddam's justice system, but at least I'd be dead by now and out of my misery.

Over at The National Post: The Court of Last Resort

VANCOUVER -In the subterranean bowels of a provincial courthouse, a bizarre and frightening spectacle starts to unfold.

 

if found to have violated the code, Maclean's faces sanctions, including payment to the complainant "an amount that the member or panel considers appropriate to compensate that person for injury to dignity, feelings and self respect or to any of them."

The magazine could also be ordered to stop publishing certain ideas and points of view. Lawyer Faisal Joseph, representing the complainant, asked the Tribunal yesterday to use its "discretion" and order Maclean's to publish a suitable response in its pages. That, or publish the panel's ultimate findings. Such are the frightening aspect of this case.

"Strict rules of evidence do not apply" in cases before the Tribunal, noted its chairwoman, Heather MacNaughton. A lawyer and a veteran of human rights inquiries, she made the comment yesterday afternoon, when allowing an Ontario law student -- yet another non-B. C. resident -- to deliver for the complainant testimony about the "Islamaphobic" Steyn excerpt.

WTF? Evidence does not apply?

Coyne's liveblog coverage parts I and II.

The Canadian Islamic Congress lawyer says that freedom of speech is a "red herring".

Throwing out the greatest civilization in human history with both hands.

 

UPDATE: Supercargo left this comment. Canada better get it together -"mulitculturalism" will be the death of the West:

Prior to 9-11 a Canadian Christian preacher was convicted under the "hate" law for accusing muslims of hate, deceit, and subversion. In Dec. 2001, an Appeals court upheld his sentencing. At the time, I communicated with Harding and he claimed that he was forced to take instructions in Islam, from the Islamic Society of North America. In fact, one text was written by arch terrorist, Maulana Maududi, founder of Jamaat-i-Islami (the JI invited bin Laden to attend their 1998 convention in Peshawar, Pakistan). Harding told me that the ISNA enforcer threatened to throw him in jail if he didn't co-operate. In Canada, scrutiny of Muslims is a hate crime.( Court doc here)

LIVEBLOG: STEYN'S KANGEROO COURT