Hallmark bashes Tea Party

Great joke.  How about a Hallmark card that says:  "Be a panther, but not a black one".  Would that be a great joke too?  Or maybe:  "Occupy Wall St  -- but clean up after yourself"  Hilarious?

Lennie Jarratt’s children had gone to Walmart over the weekend in search of a gradation card for a family friend. But instead they found a Hallmark card that has generated outrage within the Tea Party community – along with calls for a national boycott.

The card, published by Hallmark, features an image of President Obama on the cover declaring, “You graduated! Time to go to a lot of parties!”

The inside of the card reads, “But avoid those tea parties if you can. Trust me.”

“It’s offensive,” said Jarratt, the founder of the Lake County Tea Party in Illinois. “Why is Hallmark getting political? What’s the point of this? Why would they want to bash a whole group of people?”

Jarratt said his children returned home from the store and told him about the card – so he decided to go to the store and purchase a copy of the card.

“My kids didn’t like it because it was bashing tea parties,” he said. “I got the same reaction.”

Source

GA: ACLU to represent KKK in “Adopt A Highway” suit

The original KKK were all Democrats anyway so this fits

The American Civil Liberties Union will help the Ku Klux Klan in its bid to join Georgia's highway cleanup program as a legal fight looms.

ACLU of Georgia Executive Director Debbie Seagraves tells The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the civil rights group will assist the Klan in its battle with the state.

The International Keystone Knights of the KKK applied to join the "Adopt-A-Highway" program along part of Route 515 in the north Georgia mountains. Participating groups are recognized with a sign along the road they adopt.

State officials announced this month they would deny the KKK group's application, setting up the legal showdown.

Seagraves says the ACLU is still working on its strategy for representing the group in what it considers a First Amendment case.

Source

Thank goodness for the First Amendment

We just returned from Britain, where there is chilling discussion about imposing more regulation on the press. The occasion is a probe into reporters’ news practices and relationships between particular politicians and the media.

The entire series of events demonstrates why our First Amendment guarantee of press freedom is so important.

The probe resulted from the revelation of unethical and illegal practices by a single British tabloid, The News of the World. Given the limited scope of the scandal, the investigation should be one of limited public interest.

But the News of the World was one of many news outlets owned by Rupert Murdoch, so anti-Murdoch politicians and rival media are seizing the opportunity to escalate their long-standing vendetta against him. These politicians and rival media are disproportionately on the left side of the political spectrum, and they find Murdoch distasteful because several of his leading outlets (e.g., the Wall Street Journal, Fox News, New York Post) have conservative editorial policies. (Those outlets are untouched by the scandal.) Moreover, the British investigation has focused on relationships between reporters and two figures much-loathed by the Left: Prime Minister David Cameron and former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Source

The media's Niagara Falls Tightrope

Nik Wallenda's recent, amazing tightrope trek across Niagara Falls was a powerful testament to his obvious faith in God and belief in the importance of family values, as evidenced by his frequent, unceasing references to both before, during, and after the successful effort. However, what was almost as obvious as Wallenda's foundation in faith and family was ABC's awkward attempts to ignore his references to Jesus clearly heard throughout the event, thanks to a microphone fitted on Wallenda to capture his comments during the crossing.

Given the mainstream media's distaste for such references, and ABC's failure to mention or comment on these references neither during its broadcast nor in its blog otherwise fully documenting the event, it is abundantly clear that Nik Wallenda was a lot more relaxed crossing the mighty falls on an often soaked wire 200 feet above peril amid treacherous sprays of mist than ABC was uttering the words "God", "Jesus", or "Father" in reference to the Almighty.

One wonders if ABC would have been so reluctant to reference Wallenda's words if he referenced Barack Obama, the Democratic Party, the Right's so-called war on women, Obamacare, or a myriad of the Left's other treasured agendas and topics.  One can almost see the headline "Nik Says Crossing Inspired by Obama" splashed across every paper and screen in the nation.

Source

Jewish truth-teller about Islam silenced

Banned by nervous-Nellie Jews!  She simply reports what Muslims themselves say and draws the appropriate conclusions

Pamela Geller, an outspoken Islamophobe who spins wild hateful conspiracy theories about Muslims, as well as President Obama, had a speaking event entitled "Islamic Jew Hatred: The Root Cause of the Failure to Achieve Peace" cancelled in Los Angeles over the weekend following condemnation by a number of local advocacy groups.

The speech sponsored by the Zionist Organization of America was terminated after the venue owner, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, intervened to prevent its tenant from hosting the controversial speaker.

Source

She's been condemned by the Southern Poverty Law Center, so that shows that she is on the right track.  Being condemned by the money-grubbing Southern Poverty Law Center is a badge of honor for conservatives. Anyone right of center is a "hate group" to them.

Pamela is rather fun though, if you enjoy outspokenness.  Her blog is here.  She says (rightly) that the Quran is full of hate speech towards Jews (it is) and it should therefore be banned under Leftist rules.  LOL!

Threats not so smart

"A Muslim convert from Brooklyn was sentenced Friday to nearly 12 years in prison for posting online threats against the creators of the South Park television show and others he deemed enemies of Islam.

The sentence -- largely in line with the term sought by prosecutors -- came after Jesse Curtis Morton, 33, offered an apology for his conduct, saying he 'contributed to a clash of civilizations' by espousing a violent ideology."

Source

Hate speech against Christians in Australia

Leftists accuse conservatives of "hate speech" at the drop of a hat so I like to record occasionally where the real hate speech comes from:

The Australian Christian Lobby’s state director Wendy Francis says she was subject to a barrage of abusive emails and calls to her mobile phone after the LNP announced changes to surrogacy laws.

Mrs Francis started receiving the phone calls on Friday morning and estimated they were coming in every five to six minutes and she was also sent emails with pornographic images attached.

She tried to answer as many phone calls as she could but saved voicemails left on her mobile while she was talking to other abusers.

In one of the voicemails listened to by brisbanetimes.com.au, the caller says: "You’re an evil slut and you’re going to f--king hell you dirty, f--king scraggy b--ch."

Another caller said: "I don’t know how you can go to sleep at night when there are people who are suffering, families who love each other dearly and they’re suffering because of your discrimination, because of your fear and because of your bigotry."

The calls came the day after Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie announced intended changes to altruistic surrogacy laws to exclude same sex couples, single people and couples in a de facto relationship of less than two years.

The ACL supports the changes.

"I also got three email messages with porn and the porn was disgusting," Mrs Francis said.

More here

A reasonable use of the Swastika evokes heartburn

One understands the heartburn but the swastika was an Eastern symbol of blessing long before the Nazis used something similar. 

Calling the symbol a Nazi one is however historically incorrect.  The Nazis called their symbol a "hooked cross" (Hakenkreuz) not a Swastika.  Swastika is an Indian term adopted by the British

I in fact have a swastika just inside my front door.  It surrounds an image of Ganesha  -- the Indian elephant god -- to stress that Ganesha is benevolent.  The Indians living with me in my house approve



Beachgoers were stunned on Saturday when a plane flew over Long Beach Island and along the Jersey Shore, towing a Nazi flag.  On the sign was written the word ‘Swastika’, showing the anti-Semitic symbol intertwined with the Hebrew Star of David.

It was spotted as far north as Manhattan and prompted several calls from concerned viewers to the Long Beach Township Police Department.

Officers believe the plane was sponsored by an organisation connected to the Raelian Movement, which preaches that earth life was scientifically created by the Elohim, a species of extraterrestrial beings.   In a press release the Raelians claimed responsibility for the banner, adding that Saturday was their 3rd Annual Swastika Rehabilitation Day.

The group asked spiritual groups who use the symbol to stand up and show their support, insisting that its true meaning is misunderstood.

But the Jewish Community Centre of Long Beach Island is skeptical and has demanded answers.  ‘We're trying to find out - what are their intentions?’ President Don Pripstein told the Manasquan-Belmar Patch.

Source

Schoolchildren heckled‏ over patriotic song

Christ taught in Luke 6:28 "bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you" so asking for a blessing on the USA is not heretical in any version of Christianity.  Who then was guiding the hecklers?  It's not hard to guess that they were not Christians.  Other false shepherds such as Obama's Jeremiah Wright with his "God damn America" come to mind

Have you heard about Gretta Hawkins and the incident that followed? She is the principal of an elementary school in New York who pulled the song "God Bless the USA" from a kindergarten ceremony. She was concerned it would "offend other cultures."

Some of the parents who have children participating in the ceremony were upset by the decision and organized an event in a local park to allow the children the opportunity to sing the song in protest of the principal’s decision.  They invited Rep. Bob Turner, R-NY who attended the event to sing with the children.

Things took an ugly turn when adult protestors showed up and shouted over the kids as they sang.  You can see the video here as adults heckle and shout trying to drown out the voices of the children.  You can hear a Turner staffer off camera ask the protestors to stop and “let the kids sing.”



Received by email from Point of View

Homosexual hate in Britain



A newlywed couple have been targeted by internet trolls after they joined a campaign against the Government's gay marriage proposals.

Campaign group Coalition for Marriage (C4M) said Rhys and Esther Curnow, both 23, from Newcastle, have been subjected to a torrent of abuse on Facebook and Twitter.

C4M, which is a coalition of groups opposed to plans for same-sex marriage, backed by former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey, said the messages included deaths threats.

One Facebook message said: 'I really hope you & your husband turn out infertile & die of cancer. That would be something to celebrate.'

Another, on Twitter, said: 'Did Esther Curnow suffocate and die a sad and lonely death in her polyester wedding dress yet? No? Shame....'

And a further tweet said: 'Esther Curnow needs a punch in the face. That is all.'

C4M said one troll urged others to send excrement to the couple, who married in March and live in Newcastle.

They have also been told to 'Go and die and rot in hell.'
Internet hate; One of the vile tweets targeting young bride Esther Curnow

The group said the hate campaign began after Mr and Mrs Curnow took part in the presentation of a C4M petition to Downing Street last week.  They posed outside the famous front door in their wedding outfits.  The petition opposing proposals for gay marriage has 575,000 signatories.

C4M campaign director Colin Hart said: 'The level of abuse that this young couple have been subjected too is shocking.... Mr Hart said the matter has been referred to the police.

More here

MUST support  homosexuality

Rob Schlein is a homosexual Republican politician  in Texas who thinks that there are bigger issues than homosexuality.  Leftists are outraged

As journalists, it is difficult to understand how you reconcile the headline “TX party platforms evolve on LGBT issues” with a platform that continues to state: “We affirm that the practice of homosexuality tears at the fabric of society and contributes to the breakdown of the family unit.”

If Mr. Schlein does not understand that this statement is totally unacceptable, then you, your headline writers, and your copy editors certainly should.

At a time in which the national and state Republican parties have ramped up their hate rhetoric not only against the LGBT community, but also against women and people of color, no responsible publication, gay or otherwise, should be promoting the sad self-hate of a shill like Mr. Schlein.

Source

More on Mr Schlein here.

Saying “Crippled” Leads to Arrest

Make sure your Newspeak dictionary is up to date, and study it carefully on a daily basis. Use of previously innocuous words that our rulers have arbitrarily forbidden can lead to arrest:

    A man who says he was charged with disorderly conduct after using the word “crippled” to promote a comedian with muscular dystrophy claims Cincinnati police violated his free speech rights, and the comedian agrees.

    Forest Thomer, of Cold Spring, Ky., is to appear in a Cincinnati courtroom on the charge Wednesday. He was cited by Cincinnati police last month at a park after he and comedian Ally Bruener say he asked people if they wanted to “laugh at the crippled girl.”

    The question was not intended to demean his friend Bruener, but to promote her next comedy show and her allybruener.com website, the two said Monday. Bruener, who is in a wheelchair because of the degenerative muscle disorder, said she would approach people after Thomer asked them the question, tell a joke and talk about her next performance. Thomer also would record some of the public’s responses for use on Bruener’s website, showing people saying: “I laughed at the crippled girl.”

For his thought crime, Thomer could get 30 days in the hoosegow.

As for the crippled— I mean, as for the person of handicappedness,

    “I don’t think words have power until you react negatively to them,” said Bruener.

They don’t, but our PC rulers do, so watch your tongue. By the way, the word Chinaman is also forbidden now, in case you hadn’t heard. No one seems to know why.

Source

Fact-free hate speech from MSNBC

And they get some pretty ripe speech back by way of reply,  as is fitting

MSNBC’s continuous string of near slander against Mitt Romney has just spawned yet another aggressive bit of push-back, this time from Neil Cavuto of Fox News. You may recall that MSNBC anchor Lawrence O‘Donnell recently slammed Mitt Romney’s wife, Ann Romney, for claiming that she participates in the sport of dressage as therapy for her multiple sclerosis. According to O’Donnell, “There are a lot of things you can do to try to deal with MS.  But come on, dressage does not appear in any of the more traditional courses of treatment.”

Turns out that that assertion is breathtakingly wrong, as Cavuto pointed out while citing multiple clinical organizations that treat multiple sclerosis and consider horse therapy a very traditional, and often very effective form of therapy.

He then proceeds to go right for the jugular, while still remaining preternaturally calm, calling MSNBC a collection of “horse’s asses“ and slamming them as ”condescending, sanctimonious“ people with ”incredible ignorance” of multiple sclerosis treatments.

Source

(Video at link)

Jesus unmentionable

Mohammed would be fine, of course

For the past seven years Pastor Terry Sartain has ministered to police officers and their families in Charlotte, N.C. Whenever the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Dept. invited him to deliver an invocation, he prayed in “the name of Jesus.”

But not anymore.  Volunteer chaplains in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Dept. will no longer be allowed to invoke the name of Jesus in prayers at public events held on government property.

Major John Diggs, who oversees the chaplain program, told
television station WSOC that the policy is a “matter of respecting that people may have different faiths and that it is not aimed at any one religion or denomination.”

 The pastor said he’s prayed “consistently” in the name of Jesus at past police department events without any issues.  “I’m very sad about it,” he said. “I’m a pastor and Jesus is the only thing I have to offer to bless people – his life and his person.”

The police department said he could still pray – just not to Jesus.  So to whom was the Christian minister supposed to pray?  “That was my question,” Sartain said. “If I’m going to pray – what should I pray?”

He said the police department wanted him to deliver a “secular prayer.”  “Even when I wasn’t a Christian – in my past – I didn’t even know what a secular prayer was,” he said. “Why even pray if it’s to the one who’s in the room? That could be anybody.”

Source

"Vagina" a bad word?

The reference does appear to have been an egregious one

"A female Democratic state representative in Michigan said Thursday that she has been silenced by her Republican colleagues after she uttered the word 'vagina' while criticizing a slate of bills that would restrict female reproductive rights.

Michigan State Rep. Lisa Brown (D) made her comments during a Wednesday debate on proposed legislation that critics say could effectively ban abortions in the state.

'I have not asked you to adopt and adhere to my religious beliefs,' she said. 'Why are you asking me to adopt yours? And finally, Mr. Speaker, I’m flattered that you’re all so interested in my vagina, but no means no.'"

House Republican leadership later confirmed to Michigan Radio that they felt her comment violated decorum, and that she would not be called upon in future debates.

Republicans, who hold a powerful majority in the Michigan House and Senate, passed the bills with the help of just six Democrats in a vote Wednesday of 70-39.

More here

Leftists do appear to be rather fond of referring to reproductive terms.  "Get your rosaries off my ovaries" is another egregious usage sometimes directed at Catholics.

Wrong to protest a day honoring homosexuals?

I personally think that a day of silence BY them would be great.  Most of the time they seem very keen to draw attention to their deviancy.  But trying to impose silence on others for a whole day is just more arrogance from them and rejection of it is perfectly reasonable



On April 20, when Wolcott High School junior Seth Groody wore a T-shirt depicting a rainbow symbolic of gay rights on the front with a slash over it, he was doing so in protest of the day being designated “Day of Silence” — part of the national movement to raise awareness of bullying and harassment of gays and lesbians. His shirt also pictured female and male stick figures holding hands on the back, under the phrase, “Excessive Speech Day.”

Curiously, in the Wolcott case of the student wearing a T-shirt expressing his anti-gay sentiment, Groody found himself with an unusual defender — the ACLU. Defending the teen’s First Amendment rights, Sandra Staub, the director of the ACLU of CT, told the Hartford Courant, “The ACLU has fought hard for same-sex marriage and we couldn’t agree with Seth less on that issue, but he is absolutely correct about his right to express his opinion.”

There needs to be a distinction made between free-speech and appropriate speech — what is going to better our community, and what needs to be defended against tearing it down. My hope is that while the ACLU was absolutely correct in defining Groody’s right to spew his hate, there were more people that stood up to say, “We repudiate it.”

More here

So it is "spewing hate" to reject being told what to do?  A very Fascist perspective.

No doubt homosexuals do get bullied at times in schools but a perfectly simple way for homosexuals to avoid that in most cases would be to shut up about it.  At least they have that option.  When Asians are bullied by blacks at public schools there is not much the Asians  can do about it.  How about a national day of silence for Asian kids bullied by blacks?  That would be much more justifiable and it is certainly a bigger problem. 

But I guess it is "racist" to mention that reality.  When reality is racist we all have a big problem.  Thomas Sowell (who is black) also deplores the way Asians have to put up with far more than homosexuals do

Heartburn in Africa

Korean Air yesterday apologised for having vaunted the "primitive energy" of the Kenyan people in an advert for the soon to be opened Seoul-Nairobi route and withdrew the ad from its website.

"Fly Korean Air and enjoy the grand African Savanna, the safari tour, and the indigenous people full of primitive energy," the airline said.

After hundreds of tweets were addressed to them, the airline apologised.  "Regarding our recent promotional notice of Nairobi, we are checking on this issue accordingly. We sincerely apologize for this situation," it posted on its website.

This is the second time in a week that east Africans have got worked up over comments considered insulting or condescending.

Last week it was Uganda's turn after the Spanish press revealed that Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy had sent an SMS urging his finance minister to stand firm in negotiations with the European Union and saying: "Spain is not Uganda."

More here

New homosexual attacks on free speech

The article below is much longer than what I normally post here but this site has for many years been devoted to a defense of free speech so I thought it most appropriate to post it here

1).  The normal human reaction to the thought of homosexuality is revulsion. So much so that within living memory homosexuality was criminalized worldwide. 

2). The fall of the Soviet Union kicked the legs from under Leftists worldwide.  Their great claim had always been that Communism was better than capitalism and that claim became no longer possible. 

Leftists did not simply fade away at that point however.  Their hatred of their own society was  too great for that.  So they simply shifted gears.  Their agenda ever since has been to destroy their own society by white-anting all the values that have kept it strong, healthy and flourishing.

And sexual morality was of course a major concern in all societies at that time.  The idea that children should be brought up in homes where their mother and father lived together and were faithful to one-another was preached from every pulpit and in most public fora.

So that ethic was and is a major point of Leftist attack.  Destroy the family and you will very largely destroy the society. Even Karl Marx said so.

The availability of "The Pill" had in any case already destroyed one of  the major pillars of traditional morality.  Sex was no longer closely connected to conception so family formation was reduced.  Rather peskily for the Left, however, men and women still liked one-another rather a lot and children continued to emerge, albeit at a reduced rate and sometimes in situations where they were poorly cared for.  So much of traditional society survived.

So there was only one prospect for further diminishing families:  Homosexuality.  Male homosexuals tend not to reproduce so are unlikely to take much part in the care and nurture of children.  So homosexuality had to be promoted as vigorously as possible.  Getting it legalized was the first battle but the general discrediting of traditional sexual morality that came with "The Pill" made that relatively easy.  The next step has been to get it socially accepted.

And that is no easy battle.  Normal revulsion against it still prevails and the Biblical injunctions against it are clear to the many millions of believing Christians (See Romans chapter 1).  Tolerance rather than acceptance is the most that homosexuals can realistically hope for.

Homosexuals and their Leftist allies continue to battle on however.  In the name of tolerance (a widely respected value in the Anglosphere) they have managed to get most criticism of homosexuality branded as "hate speech", and in that guise criticism of homosexuality can sometimes attract serious penalties.  In the USA, however, the 1st Amendment is a substantial  barrier to such penalties.

So where do homosexuals go from here?  Their promotion of homosexuality has gone as far as it can go but with results that are probably little more than cosmetic.  But has it really gone as far as it can go?  Apparently not.  They have a new tactic:  Misuse of the law.  They sool the police and the courts onto their remaining critics.  Their tactics are to make false allegations against critics and use those allegation to provoke police and court  attacks on their critics.  Surprisingly, it works.  Out  of concern for political correctness, police and the courts respond to the fase allegations as if they were substantiated -- which causes danger and problems to the critics.

Some homosexuals have  become rather free with legal threats and these threats  intimidate some publishers, webhosts etc.  Even a false allegation can be expensive to defend and organizations with slender funding just cannot afford to do so.

The latest cave-in is from a generally bold organization:  "World Net Daily".  They did put up two exposes of  the new tactic but took down those exposes in response to legal threats.  Their funding was apparently not robust enough for them to be defiant.  Below is an excerpt from one of the WND articles.  You can (so far) read both articles in full here and here.  Fully detailed coverage of the latest news about the matter can be found (so far) here.

A Maine homosexual activist has used a court to deliver the latest "SWAT" attack on a pro-family advocate, obtaining a protective order even though the defendant, Brian Camenker of Mass Resistance, never had contacted him, according to a new ministry report.

"SWAT" attacks on pro-family and pro-faith ministries have developed lately, and they involve someone using a telephone program and calling authorities purporting to be from the ministry or ministry leader's location. They "report" a murder, shooting or similar event.  SWAT teams from local police jurisdictions then descend on the unsuspecting ministry leader and his family with guns drawn, creating high levels of danger for the innocent people.

Townhall News Editor Katie Pavlich described the practice and said it is what "far left activists are doing to silence conservatives," and it "is not a joke."

Now Camenker has documented on his website a "SWAT" attack by a homosexual activist that instead of using a phone and a police cruiser used an affidavit and a state judge in Maine.

MassResistance reported the order was sought by Adam Flanders and granted by Judge Patricia G. Worth, who said Camenker must not go onto Flanders' property, not destroy his property, not follow him and not be at his business or place of employment "without reasonable cause." And he's also prohibited from contacting Flanders.

Only he hadn't. Been on the property, destroyed the property, followed or contacted him. In fact, Camenker reports he's located nearly a day's drive away from Flanders.

The crux of the problem is a letter that Flanders publicly released a number of years ago complaining about sexual activities at a pro-homosexual organization in Maine. As part of the MassResistance effort to oppose homosexual promotions in the region, it posted the letter on its website. The letter, written by Flanders and released by him to police agencies, news agencies and various pro-family organizations such as The Christian Civic League of Maine, complained about a homosexual youth club called "OUT! . As I want to Be."

In the letter, Flanders reported sex between adults and children, marijuana use, and suicide threats and attempts. It describes "his own sexual activities with underage boys there," MassResistance reported. Flanders finished the letter, "It is my hope that the Bureau of Health will do everything in their power to seriously investigate this seemingly innocent organization that has such a dark past full of negligence, irresponsibility, sexual harassment, abuse, and ultimately emotional harm that could leave permanent scars in the lives of many vulnerable youth in Maine, or even destroy their lives completely."

Now, however, he's been approaching organizations that have his letter and demanding that it be concealed. MassResistance refused, Camenker said, and that apparently prompted the court-facilitated "SWAT" attack.

"Flanders filed a complaint in Belfast Maine District Court claiming the posting constituted personal `harassment' against him. In an unbelievable and outrageous turn of events, the district court judge agreed with him and has issued a legal restraining order against Camenker," MassResistance reported.

So now Camenker is prohibited from responding to the emails Flanders continues to send to MassResistance, Camenker told WND. "Why did Flanders write this letter, distribute it widely, and then continue having sex with young boys? We don't know for sure. But we've long observed that adult homosexuals fixated on schoolchildren are attracted to these `youth clubs' and likely continue pursuing the youths in other venues," the organization reported.

In fact, MassResistance documented that Flanders is listed on the Maine Sex Offender Register for "sexual abuse of minor." Camenker reported that an attorney advised MassResistance there was no legal basis for the demand to conceal the letter, so the organization did not. That, then, became the basis for Flanders' request for protection from Worth.

"In 2007 MassResistance published information about me on their website. This included criminal investigatory information and private information about me and other private citizens, including graphic sexual information about minors . I believe the actions . constitute stalking because it has caused me serious emotional distress," he wrote.

Camenker told WND that he arranged for a telephone conference and found the judge hostile to his concerns. He raised the issue of jurisdiction, since Flanders was complaining in Maine about Camenker's postings in another state, without success. She also declined to listen to several other concerns.

MassResistance reported, "What Flanders is claiming is not harassment or stalking by any possible definition, especially since it was presented as a public document and has been posted for nearly five years. Flanders should be charged with filing a false report. He is making wild claims about Camenker that are purposefully and blatantly untrue."

The organization also noted there is a First Amendment issue. "These kinds of things are in fact reported on and written about all the time. The whole thing was absurd and contrary to any concept of justice." The protective order arrived a short time later

"Interestingly, the judge did not order that our posting of Flanders' letter be taken down," the organization reported. "It appears that the primary purpose of this was not to `protect' Flanders, but to `punish' Camenker personally for his willingness to confront the homosexual lobby. "

"Will we be seeing more of this odious tactic against pro-family citizens? Absolutely. And in particular, as the `gay marriage' movement starts to regain ground in Maine, you can expect this will just be the beginning," MassResistance said.

WND reported several weeks ago on another tactic being used against pro-family groups. That was the filing of a lawsuit against Rev. Scott Lively by a group called Sexual Minorities of Uganda. It was filed under the Alien Tort Statute, a law that ordinarily is used to challenge torture, cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment; genocide; war crimes; crimes against humanity; summary execution, prolonged arbitrary detention; and forced disappearances.

Mathew Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, said the case was nothing more than an attempt to use "a vague international law to silence, and eventually criminalize, speech by U.S. citizens on homosexuality and moral issues."

The Ugandans allege that beginning in 2002, Lively preached in Ugandan churches and shared his opinion on homosexuality and pornography. "It further claims that as a result (albeit a convoluted one), some members of the so-called LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex) community faced discrimination, and one (SMUG Advocacy Director David Kato) was killed on January 26, 2011," Liberty Counsel reported.

"The suit leaves out the fact that the suspected killer is a male prostitute with which Kato had sex and refused to pay.""This suit should cause everyone to be concerned, because it is a direct threat against freedom of speech," Staver said.

If you object to your news being censored,  a small donation will probably put you on the mailing list for Mass Resistance.  It's a sad day when only mailouts can be relied on to circulate "incorrect" news but it's looking possible.

The letter about homosexual pedophilia that Mr. Flanders is trying to get erased is readable in full here.

Atheism forbidden in a Muslim country

An Indonesian man was jailed for 30 months after writing "God doesn't exist" on his Facebook page.  Alexander Aan, 30, was imprisoned on Thursday for sharing explicit material about the Prophet Mohammed online.

He started an atheist group on Facebook on which he shared comic strips of the prophet having sex with his servant, a court in western Sumatra heard today.

He was found guilty of 'deliberately spreading information inciting religious hatred and animosity', presiding judge Eka Prasetya Budi Dharma told the Muaro Sijunjung district court in western Sumatra.

Aan also uploaded three articles on his Facebook account, including one describing the prophet being attracted to his daughter-in-law.

'Under the Electronic Information and Transactions law, we sentence him to prison for a length of two years and six months,' Dharma said.

'What he did has caused anxiety to the community and tarnished Islam.'

More here

Australia:  Must not joke about balls



AN OLD man asks a young woman to help him with his saggy balls after she has demonstrated how other men can clean theirs.

"Balls. Nobody wants to play with them when they're dirty," says the woman, played by actor Sophie Monk.

Broadcast on free-to-air, pay television, online and in cinemas, the Lynx "cleans your balls" advertisement showing men how to wash a variety of sports balls has prompted 55 complaints to the Advertising Standards Bureau.

Psychologist and author Michael Carr-Gregg urged radio listeners in Melbourne to boycott the brand's products.  "This is completely inappropriate," he said. "[It] just adds to this shadow of pornography that our children are growing up in and I think it's time we really got strict with them."

But the outrage was exactly what the company that paid for the advertisement and its creators hoped for, according to Mark Uncles from the University of NSW's Australian school of business.

"Those who condemn the ads just feed the publicity machine," Professor Uncles said. "So in a sense they make the product even more exciting and help to generate an even bigger emotional response."

A spokesman for Unilever declined to comment. But Lynx's senior brand manager at Unilever, Duncan Robertson, told the B&T website the product was a "maverick brand aimed at young men who like their humour sharp and edgy".  "This campaign responds to that."

More here

Another indication of what Democrats think of  America



Only an America that is being "reformed" is any good, apparently

An American flag with President Obama's image in place of the stars flew over a Florida county's Democrat headquarters long enough to enrage local veterans who called the altered banner "a disgrace."

Lake County Democratic Party officials took down the flag, which flew just below a standard Old Glory on the flagpole outside headquarters in Tavares following complaints by local veterans. But merely taking it down wasn't enough for several local veterans, who said they fought for the flag Betsy Ross made famous, not one with a politician on it.

"It's absolutely disrespectful," Jim Bradford, a 71-year-old veteran who participated in the Bay of Pigs Invasion told FoxNews.com. "It's totally ridiculous. To put somebody's picture there, to me, it's a disgrace to do that."

Bradford said Hurlbert apologized for the incident, but did not offer any promises that it wouldn't fly again.

Hurlbert said Tuesday's incident was the first time anyone had complained about the flag, which she received as a gift two months ago.  "It leads me to believe that it's not about the flag," she told FoxNews.com. "Certain elements cannot accept Barack Obama as president."

Hurlbert said she intends to contact an attorney regarding the matter and remained non-committal as to whether she'll fly the flag again.  "I won't say no and I won't say yes," she said. "We want to find out what our legal rights are."

Jenn Meale, communications director for Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, referred FoxNews.com to state laws that pertain to the use of flags on public lands and property when asked for clarification as to whether Hurlbert could face any penalties.

Statute 256.05, which covers improper use of state or United States flag, or other symbol of authority, reads: "No person shall, in any manner, for exhibition or display:

"(1) Place or cause to be placed any word, figure, mark, picture, design, drawing or advertisement of any nature upon any flag, standard, color, ensign or shield of the United States or of this state, or authorized by any law of the United States or this state; or

"(2)  Expose to public view any such flag, standard, color, ensign or shield upon which shall have been printed, painted or otherwise produced, or to which shall have been attached, appended, affixed or annexed any such word, figure, mark, picture, design, drawing or advertisement."

The final insult to veterans? The flag is made in China.

More here
The law seems clear.  Just imagine the reaction if a similar  flag  with GWB on it had been put up anywhere.  The Bush=Nazi crowd would have shouted themselves hoarse

Must not mention that a fat person is fat?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Britain:

Three builders who posted a photograph of a householder’s large shorts on Facebook have been sacked.  Under the picture of one of the men holding up the denim shorts was the comment ‘the fattest person I have seen in my life’.

But the resident, who has not been identified, was said to be horrified by the incident at the housing association-run Maesgerchen estate, in Bangor, North Wales.

Local councillor Chris O’Neal, who was contacted by the resident, said: ‘He is absolutely disgusted. His family are fuming about this.  ‘There is a lot of bad feeling towards the workers. The man was absolutely distraught and gutted.’

More here

Blog banned by embarrassed British council



A British schoolgirl, Martha Payne, has been banned from posting pictures of her school dinners on her hugely successful blog despite it earning worldwide praise for its content.

The nine year-old's blog NeverSeconds has had more than two million hits, sparked debate about the state of school dinners across the globe and raised at least £2000 for charity.

But on Friday it emerged the local council has banned her from posting pictures on her blog, started seven weeks ago, because of a “headline in a newspaper”.

Despite the blog’s huge success and the “brilliant” support from her unnamed school, Argyll and Bute Council bureaucrats made the decision after the negative publicity.

The decision has left the schoolgirl, from Lochgilphead, Argyll, devastated and her 39 year-old father, Dave, angry at the “unfortunate” decision, which will prevent her from continuing the blog.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, Mr Payne [the girl's father] agreed the ban was an “own goal” by the council that will only serve to generate more criticism because "the pictures tell the story about how good the food is.”

"I have no idea what process the council went through, but it just seems to me incredibly short-sighted to penalise a girl who's actually been a force for good and a force for change by slapping her down and silencing her. If that had happened in China, we would be up in arms about it."

Because her home is on the west coast of Scotland, standards for school meals are different and improvements throughout Britain appear not to have been applied to her unidentified school.

With permission from teachers, she photographed her £2 school lunches and wrote about them, posting pictures online every day and added a rating under her “Food-o-meter”.  Her first picture was a slice of pizza and a single potato croquette, alongside some sweetcorn and a cupcake for desert.

More here

UPDATE:  After huge criticism, Argyll and Bute council have now backed down on their ban

Australian cartoonist banned for satirizing Leftist

Pickering satirizes everyone, Left or Right, but a toon of Australia's female PM showing her with a strap-on dildo was too much

Cartoonist Larry Pickering has been banned from Facebook over a lewd drawing of the Prime Minister.  Pickering, who shot to prominence as a cartoonist for several newspapers, told Facebook fans he couldn't post for three days.

The source of the grief is a cartoon, still live on his blog, featuring a naked Julia Gillard talking about the carbon tax.

In the snap, Gillard is pictured bending over and holding the hand of a much smaller Penny Wong, and telling punters: "You'll wake up on July 1st and nothing will have changed."

The couple, trying to escape the towering PM, says: "Mmm... not even the f---ing temperature... come on dear."

More here

The dildo is not gratuitous.  It is presumably meant to symbolize how she is raping Australia with her carbon tax,  which comes into force on July 1

Must not criticize homosexuality -- again

To Leftists, homosexuals seem to be what Mohammed is to Muslims.  Any criticism is an outrage and must not be uttered.  Free speech be damned

Teen radio host, Caiden Cowger, is causing an online rage with his YouTube video, "Obama is making kids gay." The video was removed after it was deemed to be full of hate speech, but Cowger quickly posted it again on June 7 under a new channel.

While YouTube seems to be having a hard time stopping Cowger from producing more videos, Spreaker, a company that is the audio equivalent of YouTube, has taken steps to make sure he can't spread his gay bashing on their site. The company removed Caiden Cowger's content on Friday, June 8, pulling the 14-year-old's radio program.

Spreaker CEO, Francesco Baschieri states, "While we not only support free speech, we help it find its way to more people faster and easier with our service that is the audio equivalent of YouTube, but like them, we cannot and will not condone hate speech. Consequently, we have pulled down audio content from Caiden Cowgar, whose recent gay-bashing clearly crosses the line from free -- to hate -- speech.”

Caiden Cowger slammed the Obama adminstration during his video rant, saying "I'm going to tell you this, guys: President Obama...Vice President Biden...is making kids gay!"

Cowger, who cites Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck as his influencers, calls homosexuality "a perverted belief, it's immoral and not natural ... The person is not born that way, no matter what Lady Gaga says...it is a decision."

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He may be right or he may be wrong but in any case  you are not allowed to hear what he says, apparently.  Only your "superiors"  can make your mind up for you

Swedish antisemitism thrust into the open



A woman given the chance to briefly take over Sweden's official Twitter account has stirred controversy on the social network after posting comments about Jews.

Sonja Abrahamsson, describing herself as a "low educated" single mother of two from Goteborg, in Sweden's west, provocatively asked what makes a Jew a Jew, and used crude language.

"What's the fuzz with Jews" she asked in one tweet on the @sweden account, suggesting it's hard to tell them apart from other people and then went on to joke about Jewish circumcision.

In another, she said not even the Nazis could tell the difference: "In nazi German they even had to sew stars on their sleeves. If they didn't, they could never now who was a jew and who was not a jew."

She also asked whether the Nazis sought to find the difference in the Jewish religion, or whether it was a "blood-thing" for them.

The reactions were immediate. One tweeter wrote: "in one day @sweden went from global Twitter superstar to PR embarrassment."

Another suggested the Swedish chef from the Muppet show might as well assume control over the account, while others defended Abrahamsson's courage to raise her voice in such a frank way, politely answering her questions and sending her links to read more. One tweeter, who said she was Jewish, said she hadn't been offended at all.

Later, Abrahamsson apologised if she had offended anyone, saying that was not her purpose. "I just don't get why some people hate Jews so much," she added.

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Her real crime seems to be not understanding the widespread hatred of Israel in Sweden.  Just mentioning Jews is touchy there.

Public debate about guns not allowed

Two Australian sportsmen were punished for being pictured with guns,  even though they were doing nothing illegal



The Australian swim duo who posed with guns at a California shooting range and posted the photo to Facebook will be forced to leave the Olympics after the swimming competition ends on the second Sunday of the Summer Games. Nick D'Arcy and Kenrick Monk are also banned from using social media for a month-long period beginning July 16 as part of the punishment stemming from the controversial photograph.

He and Monk were at the center of a firestorm last week after posting the gun photo to Facebook. The picture was quickly taken down at the request of the Australian Olympic Committee, but that wasn't enough to avoid any fallout. The AOC's decision was announced Saturday.

The swimmers thought it would be fun to take the photo. The issue, he said, was posting it to Facebook. The CEO of Swimming Australia agreed.

"They showed poor judgement in posting what we saw as inappropriate photos, in which they appear to be skylarking with guns while in the U.S. last week," said Kevin Neil. "While what the boys did was not illegal, posting the photos on social networks encourages public debate, and that debate can be seen to have a negative impact on the image of the sport and their own image."

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Risky comment about "queers"

Antonio Cassano hopes there aren't any gays in the Italy team at the European Championships but wouldn't know if there were any.

The jovial joker was asked during a Euro 2012 press conference about a rumour that there are two homosexuals and two metrosexuals in the Italy squad, a question which visibly amused the AC Milan striker.

"What's a metrosexual?" he asked the questioner.

"If they're queer, that's their problem. I hope there aren't any queers in the national team.  "But if they're queer, it's their business. Are there any? I don't know."

The question and answer brought howls of laughter from the Italian press corps after which Cassano turned to the translator and added: "You're not going to translate that to the Polish press, are you?"

Cassano then said he hoped his answer has sufficed "because if not, you know I'll be attacked from every direction".

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Italians tend to be disrespectful of political correctness so he appears to have suffered no adverse consequences for his comment.  Had he been an American it could well have been very different.

Headlight flashers pulled up in Britain too

For years, drivers who pass a police speed trap have flashed their headlights at oncoming cars to warn them to slow down.  But this spirit of friendly co-operation could become a thing of the past after one police force caught almost as many drivers who flashed their lights as actual speeders.

In an anti-speeding campaign, Lancashire Police handed out 23 tickets for breaking the limit - and  20 for 'misuse of headlights'.

Critics said it was a money-making exercise that would erode public support for the police, while the AA said imposing the £30 fines created a ‘legal and moral minefield’.

But the police insisted that warning other drivers of a speed trap was ‘a dangerous practice’.  Lancashire traffic officer PC Antony Gray said: ‘Potentially they are putting lives at risk.  'Flashing your lights at someone may make them slow down for a second, but it will not make them change their habits.

‘Speeding motorists need to be spoken to so they will seriously consider their irresponsible driving.’

However, Sean Corker, of the Drivers’ Alliance, said motorists had to be told they were in a speed-check area, adding: ‘I don’t think there’s a difference between a road sign and a person giving a warning.’

The purge on drivers who flashed their headlights was condemned as a 'legal and moral minefield' by the AA.  The motoring organisation said the move is wide open to legal challenge and fears innocent motorists could be targeted for warning other drivers to slow down.

Source

A court challenge is needed.  Cops will get away with anything if you let them.

Is the Star Spangled Banner An "Abomination"?

Talk show host, Bill Press, doesn’t like the Star-Spangled Banner. Imagine: a liberal talk show that’s not on NPR! His radio show is simulcast on Current TV. Bill Press likes provoking conservatives, but I’m not sure we should be provoked by his outburst against the National Anthem. Bill Press seems to be testing the old philosopher’s question: If a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one there to hear it, does it make a noise? If you say something on Current TV, does anyone hear it?

Press adds: “It is a major crusade of mine to get rid of the Star-Spangled Banner. Now I know you’re going to say I am not a true American, I’m not patriotic. I don’t think patriotism has anything to do with it. The National Anthem is just absolutely monumentally un-singable. I mean there’s so much wrong with it. I don’t know where to start. It’s an abomination.”

With Flag Day approaching, Bill Press sure chose a bad time to express his liberal disdain for a cherished national institution. He couldn’t top Roseanne Barr, of course, who infamously scratched her crotch while “O Saying,” or Jose Feliciano, who forgot the words.

Still, it’s worth asking: What is it with liberals that they are forever saying and doing things that lead normal people to question their patriotism—and then they howl in rage when folks question their patriotism?

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Leftists DO despise their country and they can't help that leaking out at times.  But in a patriotic country like America they know it would be political death to admit it.

Leftists trample the German flag too:  It's not just Old Glory



As in many countries, on patriotic occasions and particularly during international sporting events,  many Germans decorate their cars with their national flag, as above

So German Leftists go around car parks tearing the flags off -- and replacing them with a leaflet.  Translated, the leaflet reads:

Dear car driver (m/f)

I have taken away your German flag. No matter why you have attached this flag (to your car), this gives way in any case to nationalism.

No? of course it does!

This flag does not represent football or any team, but German identity.

Spare yourself your money, us the work, and nature the rubbish, and do not replace it with a new one!

More here

Leftists ALWAYS hate their own countries and have no respect for the rights, feelings and property of others.  Hate is what drives them.

CT: Must not mention that a black boy is black

A North End Middle School teacher was placed on paid leave Wednesday as school officials investigate claims that she made racially insensitive comments to students.

Math teacher Kathleen Pyles will remain on paid leave while school Personnel Director Ron Frost and school attorney Maurice Mosley investigate, said Paul Guidone, chief operating officer of Waterbury schools.

The investigation was sparked by parents who contend that Pyles referred to a sixth grader as "black boy" when she could not remember his name, according to one parent who filed a complaint.

Source

It reminds me of the old story about Stevie Wonder.  People were sympathizing with him for being born blind but Stevie was upbeat about it.  He said:  "It could have been worse.  At least I wasn't born black!"

Do the people above think the kid concerned was as unaware as Stevie Wonder?

Black NY principal bans patriotic song  -- supported by Department of Education

She is trying to impose her own bigoted views on others -- despite their objections.  She should be fired

A controversial Coney Island principal has pulled the plug on patriotism.  Her refusal to let students sing “God Bless the USA” at their graduation has sparked fireworks at a school filled with proud immigrants.

Greta Hawkins, principal of PS 90, the Edna Cohen School, won’t allow kindergartners to belt out the beloved Lee Greenwood ballad, also known as “Proud to be an American,” at their moving-up ceremony.

Five classes spent months learning the patriotic song, which skyrocketed in popularity after the 9/11 attacks and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

It was to be the rousing finale of their musical show at the June 20 commencement. The kids, dressed up for their big day, would wave tiny American flags — which, as the lyrics proclaim, “still stand for freedom.”

But Hawkins marched in on a recent rehearsal and ordered a CD playing the anthem to be shut off, staffers said.  She told the teachers to drop the song from the program.  “We don’t want to offend other cultures,” they quoted her as explaining.

The curt edict stunned both staff and parents.  “A lot of people fought to move to America to live freely, so that song should be sung with a whole lot of pride,” said mom Luz Lozada, whose son, Daniel, is in kindergarten.

The song has been sung at previous school events. Last year’s fifth-graders, including another Lozada child, performed it at graduation.  “Everybody applauded and whistled,” the mom said. “They gave it a standing ovation.”  Parents — many immigrants from Pakistan, Mexico and Ecuador — “love it,” Lozada said.

A teacher agreed: “It makes them a little goosebumpy and teary-eyed. I’ve never come across anyone who felt it insulted their culture.”

Department of Education spokeswoman Jessica Scaperotti gave The Post an explanation staffers said they never heard — that Hawkins found the lyrics “too grown up” for 5-year-olds.   The song starts: “If tomorrow all the things were gone, I’d worked for all my life. And I had to start again, with just my children and my wife, I’d thank my lucky stars, to be livin’ here today.”

Scaperotti said the department supports the principal’s decision. “The lyrics are not age-appropriate,” she said.

But Justin Bieber’s flirty song about teen romance, “Baby,” was deemed a fine selection for the show. Hawkins had no problem with 5-year-olds singing lines such as, “Are we an item? Girl, quit playing.”

More here

Minnesota student banned from wearing rosary beads to school

If you act like a gang member, it's going to be likely that you'll be treated like one.  Rosary beads are an aid to devotion, not bling

A Minnesota high school student who wears rosary beads to school in support of his cancer-stricken grandmother was ordered to pocket them by school district officials, who said the beads could be a symbol of gang membership.

Jake Balthazor, 15, of Coon Rapids, a northern suburb of Minneapolis, was told Wednesday by Coon Rapids High School officials that he could no longer wear the black and silver rosary honoring his grandmother, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, his father told FoxNews.com.

“He was told not to wear it again,” Chad Balthazor said Thursday. “He was upset when he came home from school. A teacher sent him down to the office, but the reason he was wearing it was for his grandmother.”

The school district’s policy forbids any “apparel, jewelry, accessories or matter of grooming which by virtue of its color arrangement, trademark or any other attribute denotes membership in an organized gang,” Mary Olson, director of communication for the Anoka-Hennepin School District, told FoxNews.com.

Olson said Coon Rapids police informed the district in early May that some local gangs, namely the Latin Kings and the Surenos, do use rosary beads as affiliation symbols.

Balthazor was told he could bring the beads to school if kept in his pocket, Olson said.

More here

Facebook ordered to unmask online 'trolls'

Britain has very severe hate speech laws so these guys are going to be in a heap of trouble,  with jail sentences likely.  I can't say I have any sympathy for them.  They will almost certainly turn out to be nothing but a bunch of cowardly losers

IN a landmark ruling, a London court has ordered Facebook to reveal the identities of internet "trolls" who abused and tormented a British mother after she wrote a message in support of a reality TV contestant.

Nicola Brookes' ordeal began last November when she learned that an ousted singer on the UK version of The X Factor had received hateful comments on the social networking website, The Argus reported.

In a bid to cheer up the besieged contestant, Frankie Cocozza, Brookes wrote on Facebook, "Keep your chin up, Frankie, they'll move on to someone else soon".

Within 24 hours, Brookes was flooded with hundreds of abusive messages.  Her attackers also set up a fake Facebook profile in her name, and published her home address in Brighton, Sussex, 87km south of London.

The 45-year-old, who suffers from Crohn's Disease, said she reported the matter to local police but they did nothing.

Brookes took the matter to the High Court in London which ruled that Facebook had four weeks to release the internet protocol (IP) addresses and other personal information of the accused trolls.

"These people are breaking the law so it is fantastic that we should now be able to find out who they are," Brookes said. "Hopefully these people are now scared in the same way that I was scared when they were harassing me."

A Facebook spokesman said there was "no place for harassment" on the social networking website, adding that the company, which is based in California, would comply with the order.

Once the information is released, Brookes will take legal action against her abusers, The Independent reported.

"I'm going for the strongest possible prosecution against these people," she said. "I want them exposed. They exposed me and they invaded my life. I didn't ask for it. They wanted a reaction from me and now they have got it."

More here

Superstitious Swedes ban 666

Does this mean that Sweden has discovered a new respect for the Bible?  It is in Revelations 13:18 that 666 is identified as the mark of the Devil

A MAN in Sweden was ordered to change his motorcycle license plates after authorities ruled his current registration number -- 666 -- was "offensive".

The man, from Falkoping, 390km southwest of Stockholm, had the number registered since 2007.

However, the Swedish Transport Agency apparently had a change of heart when he tried to renew his registration last week, news website The Local reported yesterday.

The agency informed the man, who was not named, that the triple six number would be de-registered.

"The number combination of 666 may be offensive to some," authorities said in a letter to the motorcyclist. "The Swedish Transport Agency therefore has decided that you are no longer entitled to these personal number plates."

Agency rules stipulate that "a personal plate may not be designed if it causes offense or harm to anyone else."

The number 666 is regarded by some to represent the Antichrist or the Devil. Some people take the number's association with Satan so seriously that they assiduously avoid things related to triple six.

Source

A good blast about free speech from Mark Steyn

You don’t generally get to pick your battles, and, if you’d asked me circa 2007 if I wanted to spend much of the next half-decade battling for the restoration of freedom of speech in Canada and elsewhere, I’d probably have decamped to the South Sandwich Islands. But then the Canadian Islamic Congress and their statist enablers in the “human rights” racket attempted to impose a de facto lifetime publication ban on me, and so I found myself conscripted to the cause.

It’s been a long, slow process, but the victories have been real. Section 13 of the Canadian “Human Rights” Code has as a practical matter been rendered unenforceable. It’s now about to be removed from the law formally. It passed its third reading in the House of Commons, which means it only requires a vote in the Senate and Royal Assent (yes, yes, calm down, Kevin Williamson et al), and it’s history. This twit from Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition is a good example of what we’ve been up against:

New Democrat public safety critic Randall Garrison said Wednesday that, due to the large number of hate crimes, the human rights commission needs to have the power to combat the issue online and force individuals and groups to remove websites containing hateful speech.

Removing the sections from the human rights code will effectively strip the commission of its power to educate Canadians and shut down inappropriate websites, he said.

“We do have a serious problem,” Garrison said. “If you take away the power to take (websites) down, it’s not clear they have any mandate to even to talk to people about it and educate them about it.”

Clear off, you twerp. I don’t want the state to have a “mandate” to “educate” the citizenry about their thought-crimes. Even if I did not object on principle, one thing I’ve learned during this five-year campaign is that the statist hacks Canada’s official opposition is so eager to empower are, almost to a man, woman and pre-op transsexual, either too stupid or bullying to be entrusted with the task. Mr Garrison himself would appear to be a fine example of the former, at least.

If it’s a choice between an unlovely citizenry with all its flaws or an overbearing state policing their opinions, I know which is the lesser evil. What a shame a “progressive” “liberal” “socialist” like Randall Garrison has such a low opinion of his fellow citizens.

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Sometimes hate speech can be amusing

I was practically rolling on the floor laughing by the end of this compilation



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The title given to the compilation is "MSNBC agonistes",  which is a reference to "Samson agonistes",  a 17th century poem by John Milton about the agonies and remorse of the Biblical Samson  after he was captured by the Philistines.  I'm guessing that an American education doesn't usually teach you all that stuff any more so I thought I might explain it.

Don’t Apologize for Your Opinions

One thing that always bothers me, is when intelligent, thoughtful people; feel it is necessary to apologize for their ideas and opinions… or for even having ideas and opinions at all (much less opinions contrary to those around them, or which are unpopular).

You don’t have to apologize for your views to anyone, for any reason. They are yours (or at least, they should be… if they aren’t… if you’re just repeating things you’ve been told, or you don’t really understand or believe what you’re saying… well, you’ve got a different problem entirely).

Right or wrong, you have the right to an opinion (I don’t have to listen to you, but I can’t tell you you can’t have them); and unless you are violating others rights in doing so, you have the right to express those views openly, and to act on them appropriately.

The first freedom, is freedom of conscience. Without freedom of conscience, we are not men.

However, having and expressing views, carries an element of responsibility and duty with it.

First you must understand, you have the right to your own opinions, but not your own facts. If facts contradict your opinions, facts win, no matter what you think or what you want; and whether you recognize it or not. Reality is a harsh mistress, and it doesn’t respect your ideas, your opinions, your preferences, or your feelings… Reality respects only fact.

Finally, you must accept that your views may be wrong; and if proven (by either reasoning or reality) to be incorrect, incomplete, or improperly understood; you must be able to re-examine, and revise, or even replace them.

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UN Wants to Control the  Internet

One of the fastest ways to ruin the Internet would be to put the United Nations in charge of it.  Unfortunately, that is exactly what the United Nations wants.  The United Nations is now pushing very hard for complete control over the Internet. A proposal that has the support of China, Russia, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Iran would give control of the Internet to the UN's International Telecommunication Union.

This is perhaps the greatest threat to the free and open Internet that we have seen yet.  At a UN conference in Dubai this upcoming December, representatives from 193 nations will debate this proposal.  The United States and many European nations are firmly against this proposal, but it is unclear whether they have the votes to stop it.  Unlike the Security Council, there are no vetoes when it comes to ITU proceedings.

So the United States may not be able to stop governance of the Internet from being handed over to the United Nations.

The United States could opt out of any new treaty, but that would result in a "balkanized" Internet.  If the UN gains control over the Internet, you can expect a whole new era of censorship, taxes, and surveillance.  It would be absolutely catastrophic for the free flow of commerce and information around the globe.  Unfortunately, many repressive regimes are very dissatisfied with how the Internet is currently working and they desperately want to be able to use the power of the UN to tax, regulate and censor the Internet.  Needless to say, that would be a disaster.  International control over the Internet would be a complete and total nightmare and it must be resisted.

More here

No free speech if the Secret Service says so

Can't find that in the Constitution, somehow

"A Colorado man has lost his bid to sue two Secret Service agents who allegedly had him arrested in retaliation for critical comments he made to then-Vice President Dick Cheney during a public meet and greet event at a local shopping mall.

The man, Steven Howards, filed a lawsuit against the agents, claiming the retaliatory arrest violated his First Amendment free speech right to express an opinion in public without facing punishment from government officials. The US Supreme Court ruled 8 to 0 on Monday that the two agents are entitled to the protection of qualified immunity from such a lawsuit."

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SC: Mom locked up for cheering at child’s graduation

Police goons at work.  Black spontaneity can be noisy but there was no need to lock her up for it.  Just escorting her outside would have been the maximum needed.  Given the poor relations between blacks and the cops, you would have thought that the goons would have gone easy.  No such luck.  Being big he-men is their jerk-off.  Power corrupts, as Acton said.

"Shannon Cooper cheered as her daughter walked across the stage to get her diploma from South Florence High School Saturday night, but just minutes later, Shannon was handcuffed and arrested.

She said officers walked her across the Florence Civic Center, where the graduation ceremony was being held, in full view of everyone, including her daughter, Iesha Cooper, 18.

Police said it was announced before the ceremony that anyone who cheered or screamed would be escorted out of the building.

Shannon was booked at the detention center and stayed there for several hours until posting a $225 bond.

Source

A small note

The amount of comment spam this blog is getting is now really mounting up.  Fortunately, Google is good at catching it before it appears and consigns it to the spam box.

The Google filters are a bit too efficient sometimes however and catch legitimate comments.  For that reason I have been in the habit of looking through the spam box and rescuing such comments  for posting.

The spam is now so heavy, however, that I no longer have  time for that.  I just empty everything out of the spam box without looking at it

So my apologies to those who make legitimate comments that do not get through.  Blame the spammers.

Hate speech from Bloomberg

If he calls fat people "beasts" is it OK to call him a Fascist?  Perhaps we could even call him a Kapo, after the Jews who assisted the Nazi concentration camp guards.  If he can be offensive, so can we

Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City and maven of medical-political quackery, decided to use the power of government to control the quantity of soft drinks people consume in eating establishments selling fountain drinks. An estimated 22,000 business entities would be affected, including restaurants, food carts, sports arenas, stadiums, theaters, and other public venues.

Bloomberg thinks “beasts” should be controlled. Those “beasts” are running rabidly rampant destroying the aesthetic of his beloved city. He is going to solve the problem of  “beasts” in New York City. He claims the people want this.

Bloomberg’s mandate will limit sweetened fountain soft drink quantities to 16 ounces. He claims this will help curb obese “beasts.” He hates the sight of “beasts” and decided to beautify his city through downsizing soda.

Bloomberg blasted his critics calling them ridiculous. Has he looked in the mirror lately? Calling obese people “beasts” is not only ridiculous, it is insensitive and offensive. Mayor Bloomberg has an absolute unalienable right to call obese people “beasts.” This is still America, after all.

But, this being America, obese people, and the rest of us, should be protesting loudly about being called “beasts.” Where are the oh-so sensitive media? How come they are not all over this lashing out at Bloomberg for dehumanizing human beings by calling them “beasts”?

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Must not mutter

In Australia's federal parliament:

"TERRITORY politician Natasha Griggs surprised friend and foe alike by being kicked out of Federal Parliament.  Deputy Speaker Anna Burke ordered her out after she twice interjected during a speech by Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

The exact words of her interjection are not recorded in Hansard, the official record of parliamentary proceedings. But Ms Burke told her: "If she thinks just muttering under her breath is not offensive, it is."

A CLP source also said Ms Griggs "muttered something under her breath". The source said her ejection was "a bit rough" because it was not recorded whether what she had said was "offensive".

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The usual Democrat charm

We read:

"Last Thursday Al Sharpton compared Republicans to Nazis and claimed they were out to exterminate Blacks. That wasn't just stupid. It was obscene.

Why is it when conservatives accuse liberals of being fascists or Nazis, or compare individuals to Hitler, Stalin, or Mao, the proverbial excrement hits the fan? It is deemed extremely offensive, anti-Semitic, insensitive and un-American. 

When liberals do it, they "speak truth to power.”

Why do liberals, who are supposedly so intellectual and open-minded, get away with saying such stupid, hateful things? When they do, their liberal friends then defend the indefensible.

There was no hue and cry over Al Sharpton’s remarks. That would cause his critics to be accused of racism, the political kiss of death, the journalistic trump card. The mere thought of that accusation turns otherwise intelligent people into spineless cowards.

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Video at link

'Bigger. Fatter. Gypsier' advertising campaign used by British TV Channel  for its wedding series to be investigated for 'racism'



We read:

"The Advertising Standards Authority is to formally investigate Channel 4's advertising for Big Fat Gypsy Weddings, after the Irish Traveller community successfully appealed the regulator's original decision.

Adverts used to promote the show have been criticised for using the words: 'Bigger. Fatter. Gypsier' in large letters across images of travellers, including one of young children.

The London Travellers' Unit and two members of the London Assembly have likened the word 'gypsier' to other terms deemed racist and abusive.

In March the ASA dismissed more than 370 complaints against the campaign, but decided that an investigation was unnecessary as Channel 4's TV and billboard ads were not likely to cause widespread offence.

But now the ASA has made an embarrassing climb down and admitted its decision not to review the complaints was 'flawed.'

The green light for the investigation to commence was given after a meeting between Lord Smith and independent reviewer Sir Hayden Phillips, a former senior civil servant.

The decision to investigate the series ,which has pulled in up to 8 million viewers, is damaging to the show's sponsor Honda and the car company admitted some viewers had rang them directly to lodge a complaint.

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If Gypsies think it is racism to call someone a Gypsy, that doesn't say much for their self-esteem, does it.  Do they themselves think being a Gypsy is discreditable?  If so, why criticize others who appear to think likewise?

British TV host  in race row after using the word 'pikey' in magazine column

"Pikey" is a bit hard to translate from British English but it includes ideas of being mean and not living up to your obligations.  It originally applied to Gypsies and other "travellers".  Note, however, that the presenter was applying the description to HIMSELF

Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond has been embroiled in a race row after he used the word 'pikey' in a magazine column.

An Irish traveller group slammed the 42-year-old television presenter and journalist, saying the word was the equivalent of calling a black person a 'n*****'.

Hammond used the word in his regular column in this month's Top Gear magazine while writing about how much money he had spent on his Land Rover.

He wrote: 'I have, over the 10 years I've owned it, spent way too much money on my Land Rover. I've documented on this page before some of the car's many stages of evolution.

'It's spent time as a blinged-up street cruiser with chrome wheels, blue neon underlighting, straight-through dragster sidepipes and a pumped-up stereo that could damage your pelvis on loud.

'A lot of my little touches have been fun, innocent and pretty harmless. I have fitted chromed accents on the dash and commissioned back seats bearing my daughter's names.

'Yes, I am a pikey, and it is important that my Land Rover reflect that.'

A spokesman for the Irish Traveller Movement in Britain said: 'He has to understand that pikey is the equivalent to the n word.

'You could make a joke with the n word in but if you did it wouldn't be funny. It would be offensive. It is the same with pikey.'

Top Gear magazine's editor Charlie Turner said: 'We're sorry this term has caused offence. That was never the intention.'

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Death threats for preaching the Bible IN CHURCH???

We read:

"A church in rural Indiana has gone on lock-down and its pastor has fled into hiding after a shocking video emerged of a four-year-old boy singing a homophobic song.

The clip shows the child receiving raucous applause and a standing ovation as he chants 'ain't no homos gonna make it to heaven.'

On Wednesday, members of Apostolic Truth Tabernacle Church in Greensburg, Indiana, said they have received death threats over the publication of the video.

In the grainy footage recorded by a cellphone, a young boy approaches the microphone and sings: 'I know the the Bible’s right, somebody’s wrong/ the Bible’s right, somebody’s wrong/ Romans one, twenty six and twenty seven/ Ain’t no homos gonna make it to Heaven.'

Men in suits rise to their feet and begin cheering and applauding. Pastor Jeff Sangl grins and nods approvingly.

Three times the boy sings the verse -- which is a takeoff on lyrics written by Bishop G.E. Patterson, the late leader of the nation's largest black Pentecostal church.

The original lyrics read: 'I've told you time and time again, you can't make it to Heaven while you sippin' on gin' and 'I've told you once, I've told you twice, you can't make it to Heaven with a sweetheart and a wife.'

The Bible verse the boy refers to, Romans 1:26-27, reads: 'Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. '

Even as criticism of the church pours in, members of the congregation are standing by the boy's performance.

'The people who are upset just don't read the word of God. If we don't teach the children the truth early they will never learn,' one congregant told TMZ.com.

After the video went public, Pastor Sangl, who is seen urging the boy on, suddenly left for an unplanned vacation and no one is sure where he's gone.

Members of the congregation say they've received death threats.

Source

Calling someone fat could be made a hate crime in Britain

"Obese" is OK but "fat" is not????

As playground taunts go, it must be the oldest in the book. But calling someone ‘fatty’ should be deemed a hate crime, MPs warn today.

The Government should consider putting ‘appearance-based discrimination’ on a legal par with race and sexual discrimination, a report by the all-party parliamentary group on body image suggests.

The Equalities Act 2010 makes it unlawful to harass, victimise or discriminate against anyone because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability.
Stop! Calling someone fat should become a hate crime on a par with racial or sexual discrimination, a new report suggests

Stop! Calling someone fat should become a hate crime on a par with racial or sexual discrimination, a new report suggests

The report, Reflections on Body Image, published today, recommends ‘a review into the scale of the problem of appearance-based discrimination’.

It says: ‘This may include exploring whether an amendment to the Equalities Act would be the most appropriate way of tackling discrimination.’

The report also calls for the NHS’s  controversial weigh-in for children to be scrapped because it wrongly labels many youngsters as obese and could lead to bullying.

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Australia: Leftists just can't think ahead  -- or is it just that they rely on conservatives to have better manners than they do?

An obvious riposte to the poster criticizing the conservative leader below would be: "I'm Julia Gillard and I'm threatened by marriage and children". (Leftist Prime Minister Gillard has never married, has no children and is in a relationship of  some sort with a male hairdresser!  I kid you not.

OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott has described posters that depict him as racist, homophobic and sexist as tacky and not funny.

The posters, snapped inside the Sydney electorate office of Health Minister Tanya Plibersek, carry the slogans: "I'm threatened by boats and gays. Gays on boats are my worst nightmare" and also "Note to Ladies: Make me a sandwich".

Mr Abbott told the Nine Network today: "It's tacky, it's not funny and Tanya Plibersek should be better than that and the Labor Party should lift its game."

Ms Plibersek's office yesterday refused to be drawn on the question of an apology, but later tweeted: "Have instituted formal satire ban in the office".

In a prepared statement she said: "It is satire, I have asked the staff member to take it down."

However, Liberal party deputy leader Julie Bishop said she was so outraged by the posters she raised the issue during Question Time yesterday after noticing the pictures on her iPad.  Ms Bishop said she found the posters highly offensive, as did the Opposition Leader, who's own sister is in a same-sex relationship.

The posters, which were photographed inside the Sydney electorate office of Labor MP Tanya Plibersek, caught the attention of a 2GB listener who forwarded the photos onto talkback radio host Ben Fordham and immediately sparked outrage.

On his Sydney Live show yesterday, Fordham asked how Ms Plibersek would feel if the shoe was on the other foot and "nasty posters" of Julia Gillard were on display in a Liberal MP's office.

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