Drug war censorship

It has long been evident that the Drug War is bad for America. Crime in the streets, millions in prison, violations of civil liberties, along with tens of millions of people still using drugs. So where's the benefit?

It turns out that the Drug War also threatens free speech. One of the most important organizations opposing the Drug War is Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, or LEAP. It has started a new blog by a cop who believes he must remain silent, or be fired. He writes:

As an active duty veteran police officer, I would love to publicly join Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and freely speak out against the drug war. However, I am scared, yes scared, to join LEAP publicly. Although many active duty law enforcers are already speaking out publicly with LEAP and maintaining their careers (more on them later), I believe I would be punished by my department for my advocacy or perhaps even fired.

We need a full and honest debate on drug prohibition. Including the participation of law enforcement officers able to speak openly without fear of retaliation.

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Government permission needed to issue weather forecasts‏?

We read:

"Weather forecasts are often unreliable but would you send your local weather forecaster to jail for 10 years? A newly proposed law in South Africa would punish unauthorized weather forecasts with jail time and fines, according to the Mother Nature Network.

The law would require state-sanctioning for any weather forecasts issues outside of the government's South African Weather Service (SAWS).

The proposed law, if put into effect, would affect weather outlets including the SA Weather and Disaster Observation Service (SAWDOS), which relies on weather reports submitted by the public. SAWDOS was recently credited with issuing timely warnings for three storms that may have helped to mitigate property losses and damage.

"As the amendment bill now reads, nobody will be able to issue any warning of approaching severe weather," SAWDOS founder Johan said in an interview with the Daily News. "Experience has taught us that to get permission from any institution takes time — that is if you can get hold of the designated person."

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Atheists are a protected class?

We read:

"While it was the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) that defended teen atheist Jessica Ahlquist in her successful quest to have a prayer mural removed from her Rhode Island public high school, the FFRF is also rushing to the young girl’s defense.

Citing discrimination, the organization is filing a civil rights complaint after numerous florists refused to deliver flowers to the girl.

The FFRF reportedly tried to have a dozen roses delivered to Ahlquist with the message, ”Congratulations, and hang in there, with admiration from FFRF.”

After being denied by three florists in the Cranston, Rhode Island, area, the group was eventually able to secure an order from a business located in Connecticut.

According to FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor, Twins Florist, one of the businesses that refused to deliver, violated the Civil Rights Act when the business discriminated based on Ahlquist’s atheism. Gaylor released the receipt order from the florist, which reads, “I will not deliver to this person.”

The florists, though, disagree with Gaylor’s stance on the matter. Turnto10.com reports that Raymond Santilli of Flowers by Santilli, one of the companies the FFRF attempted to order from, explains that a foundation representative told him that the person delivering the flowers might need police protection.

He maintains that he has the right to deliver — or not — to whomever he chooses, because he owns the shop.

Twins Florist owner Marina Plowman echoed these sentiments. “I just chose not to do it. Nothing personal, it was a choice that I made. It was my right, so I did that,” she said. ”I’m an independent owner and I can chose whoever I want, whenever I want.”

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You can't win: British filmmakers remove leprosy gag from new children's comedy after outcry but were they too PC?

We read:

"The makers of Wallace and Gromit have been forced to take a joke about leprosy out of their latest film after an outcry from health campaigners.

Animators Aardman have caused a furore with a scene that appeared in a trailer for Pirates! In An Adventure with Scientists! - starring Hugh Grant and Brian Blessed.

It shows the arrival of the Pirate Captain, voiced by Grant, on board a captive ship demanding gold.

A crew member tells him: 'Afraid we don't have any gold old man, this is a leper-boat.' His arm then falls off, before he adds: 'See!'

Campaigners lined up to criticise the visual gag, accusing Aardman Animations of 'laughing at the millions disabled by leprosy'.

The Oscar-winning British film company agreed to remove the gag from the family film, which is set to be released in the UK this March.

But the move was criticised by some who claimed it was an over-reaction just to appease a vocal minority.

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Comic about Hitler turning Jews into soap



It's certainly insensitive but it just a comic and, as such, unlikely to harm anyone. There will always be insensitive people around and we have to expect that they will express themselves insensitively on occasions. Free speech protects insensitive people too. We should reserve our concern for people who do actual harm to others. There are plenty of those.

Certain subjects are so inappropriate as a subject for comedy, it’s a wonder any comedian or artist would see fit to take them on. One would hope the suffering of Jews about to be exterminated in Nazi concentration camps would be one of those. Apparently not so for one Argentine comic strip artist, who is now facing complaints from fellow citizens of the Latin American country.

The cartoon, by Gustavo Sala, depicts a DJ performing at a concentration camp and Hitler instructing inmates to “have fun because life is short.”

In the first panel, DJ David shouts: “Let’s f***ing dance! Party! Party!” To which the prisoners reply they have nothing to celebrate because they are going to be exterminated in mass.

None other than Señor Hitler enters in the third panel, telling the inmates in striped garb that a little fun can’t hurt, adding “have fun, because life is short.”

In the fourth and final panel, while the inmates dance wildly, Hitler thanks the DJ and quips, “If they are relaxed then the soap comes out much better.”

Just a day after publishing the anti-Semitic strip, the newspaper issued an apology on Friday.

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God Is an Imaginary Friend’: Atheist Billboard Ignites Controversy in Colorado‏

If Christians are free to spread their gospel then atheists must also be free to spread their gospel. The wacky thing is that atheists feel the need to spread a gospel at all.

I suspect that these are not atheists at all but rather anti-Christian Leftists who would never dare criticize Islam. Saudi Arabia is a much more religious place than the USA. Let them put their billboards up there and see how far they get

Atheists have a way with billboards. In fact, it’s one of the primary methods many non-believers use to communicate with the public at large. This is exactly the method a Denver, Colorado-based group, called Boulder Atheists, is using to spread its message. Reaction to the group’s newest billboard, which targets those who hold a belief in God, has ranged from giggles to anger.

Boulder Atheists has erected three billboards that each read, “God is an imaginary friend. Choose reality, it will be better for all of us.” This statement, which will clearly offend the religious, is not intended to start problems, the group says.

Abraham Aryan, a local businessman, isn‘t happy about the billboards’ presence. “Anything with a derogatory message I don’t think should spread around. But they’re welcome to do it,” Aryan said. “Welcome to America, that’s one of the beautiful things about living here is you can do that.”

Considering Boulder Atheists’ track record, the alliance of non-believers is certainly not likely to apologize or rescind. In the end, the group’s leaders have the free speech and freedom to post such messages, but they may not spark the discussion they’re hoping for by taking such a confrontational route.

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Man sues wronged women for outing him on the net



Free speech law means that he has to prove the alleged libel is untrue. Good luck with that!

He was the youngest prosecutor in Norwalk, Conn. He worked for the NFL and was an analyst on Court TV. But if you Google Matt Couloute, the first thing that comes up is: Liarscheatersrus.com, a site that warns women web-surfers about men who lie and cheat in their personal relationships.

“It’s unfortunate,” said Couloute, as he walked in front of the Federal Courthouse in downtown Manhattan. “Anyone can go online and do that to somebody.”

But in Matt’s case, his “slanderer” isn’t so anonymous. In fact, Amanda Ryncarz, Matt’s former girlfriend, fully admits posting on the site about their three-year relationship. "I posted on liarscheatersrus.com,” she said in a written statement, “because I wanted to warn other women in order to protect them from what I suffered.”

Couloute is now suing Ryncarz for “tortious interference with prospective business relations. It’s a case that could determine what people are and are not allowed to post on the Web.

What Ryncarz allegedly “suffered” is fully available to anyone who googles Couloute. It includes her detailed descriptions of Couloute’s broken promises and what she describes as a pattern of deceit.

Couloute says he can’t get away from the posts, which he says have ruined his life. He claims he’s lost clients, and it even got in the way of buying his dream home.

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Mosley v Google censorship battle

We read:

"Google has removed hundreds of web pages relating to former motorsport boss Max Mosley's sex life from its search results index, Britain's Leveson Inquiry on press standards has heard.

But the internet giant said it dealt with requests for material to be excluded on a country-by-country basis, meaning articles and videos might remain accessible on other national versions of its site.

Mr Mosley told the inquiry in November he had spent over £500,000 ($750,000) trying to restore his reputation after a March 2008 News of the World article alleging he had a "sick Nazi orgy", something he strongly denied.

He described his strenuous efforts to get articles removed from websites, adding: "The fundamental thing is that Google could stop this appearing but they don't or won't as a matter of principle."

Google legal director Daphne Keller on Thursday confirmed that someone in Mr Mosley's position would have to apply individually to have web pages, known as URLs, removed from the company's sites in different countries. She told the inquiry: "I would hope that wouldn't be a terribly difficult thing to do, and I can tell you that in his case we have removed hundreds of URLs."

Ms Keller said a defamatory video could be removed from one of Google's national sites but remain up on another. "If there is a country whose law says that that should stay up, then in that country we would comply with that law," she said.

But the lawyer rejected a suggestion that Google should block certain search terms. She said: "In the Max Mosley case, obviously there has been all kinds of news coverage about this very inquiry, and other coverage that's legitimate, and that you wouldn't want to disappear from search results."

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The libel judgment in his favour obtained by Mosley was handed down in London by The Hon. Mr. Justice Eady. Mr Justice Eady is well-known for leaning towards the plaintiff in libel suits, bringing that entire area of British law into disrepute. His notorious judgments often lead to censorship of material that most people would think should remain uncensored. His ruling was particularly obnoxious in the Rachel Ehrenfeld case, causing the NY legislature to pass a special law to protect her from any consequences of Eady's judgment. So I have no confidence in Eady's ruling favouring Mr Mosley

That lack of confidence is strongly supported by the fact that Mosley has made strenuous efforts to have the video of his behavior suppressed. If the video just showed him having a cup of tea, why would he want it suppressed? Clearly it does at least in part support the allegations made.

To help circumvent the Mosley/Eady censorship attempts, I have made a copy of one report of the matter that is still up and reposted it here. Under U.S. law it would be regarded as in the public interest for public figures to have information about their deeds known.

I am not in fact particularly critical of Mr Mosley's actions in this matter. As I see it, it is Mr Justice Eady who has poisoned the well in the matter. He appears to have developed de novo a law of privacy that has no regard to the truth or merit of the allegations. The USA is not alone in having unelected judges who create law that would never pass muster before a democratically-elected legislature.

So until the British parliament steps in, I will continue in skepticism towards British libel judgments. The problem is well-known in Britain and the present government has promised corrective legislation -- but no such legislation appears to be on the horizon yet.

Alaska Airlines ends long tradition of giving passengers prayer cards with in-flight meals



How can you be "offended" by cards such as the above? If you were a real atheist they would just be a pretty card with an old-fashioned message on them. If I called the complainers miserable sick whiners that might justifiably offend them but that is nothing like the cards above

"Alaska Airlines is ending a decades-long tradition of handing out prayer cards with their in-flight meals because an increasing number of passengers were offended by them.

Alaska Airline spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said the decision was made out of respect for all passengers, and follows feedback from customers that they preferred not to mix religion with transportation.

'The decision reflects respect for the diverse religious beliefs and cultural attitudes of Alaska Airlines' customers and employees,' the company said in announcing the change.

'Some customers were comforted by the cards and some didn't feel religion was appropriate on the plane and preferred not to receive one,' she said.

The cards began as a marketing ploy 30 years ago to differentiate the regional airline from its competitors. The company admits the idea was borrowed from another airline.

Since 2006, when the airline stopped offering meals to customers in the main cabin, the cards have only appeared on meal trays in first class.

For a long time, Alaska Airlines got more positive comments than negatives ones. But lately, opinion has shifted.

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"Food stamp" and "janitor" are racist words?

Crazy black Mamma says so:

Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee on Friday accused Newt Gingrich of using racial “code words” in calling President Barack Obama the “food stamp president” and saying schools ought to hire children to do janitorial work.

The Texas congresswoman’s comments came in response to a question about remarks she made on the House floor Wednesday, when she said there are “candidates like Newt Gingrich who want to throw fuel and matches and fire to develop sort of an explosiveness in this country” and there are “underlying suggestions” to calling Obama the “food stamp president.”

“These are code words. It’s inappropriate,” Jackson Lee told MSNBC’s Martin Bashir Friday. “Let me say that the code words, as far as I’m concerned words that generate and signify race.”

“[With Gingrich] It is ‘I will use race to divide. I will call the president the food stamp president,’” she said. “Telling us that a janitor who makes $37,000 would be in a better position to give his job up so that the children of the poor in New York…can pick up a broom and work.”

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Apology sought from Wisconsin school superintendent who bullied Christian teen over homosexual adoption

This disgraceful episode is now in the hands of the lawyers

"A 15-year-old Wisconsin boy who wrote an op-ed opposing gay adoptions was censored, threatened with suspension and called ignorant by the superintendent of the Shawano School District, according to an attorney representing the child.

Mathew Staver, the founder of the Liberty Counsel, sent a letter to Superintendent Todd Carlson demanding an apology for “Its unconstitutional and irrational censorship and humiliation” of Brandon Wegner.

Wegner, a student at Shawano High School, was asked to write an op-ed for the school newspaper about whether gays should be allowed to adopt. Wegner, who is a Christian, wrote in opposition. Another student wrote in favor of allowing gays to adopt. Wegner used Bible passages to defend his argument, including Scripture that called homosexuality a sin.

The school immediately issued an apology – stating Wegner’s opinion was a “form of bullying and disrespect.”

But Staver said what the school system did next was absolutely outrageous. He said the 15-year-old was ordered to the superintendent’s office where he was subjected to hours of meetings and was accused of violating the school’s bullying policy.

“The superintendent called him ignorant and said he had the power to suspend him,” Staver said. “He’s using his position to bully this student. This is absolutely the epitome of intolerance.”

FOX News & Commentary offered Carlson a chance to address the allegations. He refused to submit to questions, but did say he would send a statement. That statement never arrived.

Staver said an apology from the superintendent may not suffice – and they may consider taking legal action. “It was a very intimidating situation for this 15-year-old boy,” he said.”It was uncalled for. He crossed the line. It’s absolutely outrageous and he needs to apologize for his actions.”

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A good illustration of how twisted a Leftist mind can get. The kid was the one being bullied but he was accused of bullying!

Air-crew members must not be sarcastic

We read:

"An Air New Zealand crew member was sacked after she attempted to board a rival company's plane to have a look inside, then "spoke sarcastically" when she was denied.

Helen Watson, a flight services manager with 26 years experience, was dismissed in August last year and has now launched a personal grievance case against her former employer.

The airline alleges Watson, when waiting for the departure of her own flight to Rarotonga, saw an Emirates flight at an adjacent boarding gate using a Boeing 777-300 aircraft. As Air New Zealand was due to get the same model of plane, she asked to have a look on board.

When approached a short while later by an Emirates representative who asked why she had attempted to go on the plane, Watson allegedly replied: "Curiosity, do you know how to spell it?"

She then accompanied the representative back to the aircraft where she spoke with the chief purser and captain and apologised. However, Emirates later complained to Air New Zealand, which began the investigation resulting in her dismissal.

Air New Zealand said Watson's actions were partly responsible for the late departure of her flight, which she failed to disclose. It also listed "speaking sarcastically" and "breaching security protocols" among its allegations.

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OK to call someone a mongol in Britain

But only late at night:

TV watchdog Ofcom has rejected complaints that comedian Ricky Gervais's use of the word 'mong' during a stand-up show was offensive.

The Office star and controversial comedian claimed that Britain's Got Talent singer Susan Boyle looked like a 'mong' during his 'Science' live show on Channel 4 last year.

During a tirade about the Scots singer in October, Gervais said: 'She would not be where she is today if it wasn’t for the fact that she looked like such a f*****g mong.'

'When she first came on the telly, I went, "Is that a mong?" You all did.'

The jibes saw charity bosses write to Gervais to demand he stop using the word, which they saw is a cruel nickname for Down's Syndrome sufferers.

Ofcom launched an investigation, but today cleared Channel 4 of breaching guidelines on offensive content. The TV regulator ruled that although Gervais's comments could cause 'considerable offence', they were justified in the context of a late night comedy show.

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India to complain to US over Jay Leno joke



Indian religions might seem strange to us but Indians take then very seriosly -- almost as seriously as cricket. A Prime Minister of India (Indira Gandhi) was assassinated for desecrating the Golden temple. I would advise Mr Leno to apologize profusely. There are a lot of Sikhs in the USA.

India is to formally object to a joke by US TV host Jay Leno in which he said that the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine for Sikhs, was a summer home for wealthy presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Minister Vayalar Ravi termed the gag by "The Tonight Show" host as "quite unfortunate and quite objectionable" and said the Indian embassy in Washington would raise the issue, the Press Trust of India reported on Monday.

In a dig at Mr Romney's privileged background during a show last week, Leno used a photo of the ornate Sikh shrine in the northwestern Indian city of Amritsar during a segment on the vacation homes of US Republican presidential candidates.

Angry members of the Sikh community in the US circulated an online petition protesting the "derogatory depiction" of the Golden Temple, adding that "Jay Leno's racist comments need to be stopped right here".

Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Ravi said he had not watched the show himself but that the Sikh community in the US had lobbied him to take action against it.

"Freedom does not mean hurt the sentiments of others ... This is not acceptable to us and we take a very strong objection for such a display of an important place like Golden temple," Mr Ravi was reported to have said.

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It was just a joke but humor can be dangerous these days. Perhaps it always was.

The Ever-Expanding Concept of "Bullying" Casts an Ominous Shadow Over Free Speech‏

A school superintendant has labeled a column in a school newspaper that criticized homosexuality as “bullying.” (The Shawano High School newspaper decided to run dueling student opinion pieces on whether same-sex couples should be able to adopt children; the student article that was labeled as “bullying” answered the question “no.”)

Whatever the wisdom (or lack thereof) of featuring something like that in a school newspaper, it seems strange to argue that a viewpoint in a student newspaper is “bullying.”

A conservative Christian who thought that homosexuality was immoral successfully challenged a school “harassment” code that punished students with such viewpoints in Saxe v. State College Area School District (2001), a case in which a federal appeals court ruled that there is no “harassment” exception to the First Amendment for speech which offends members of minority groups.

But schools and anti-bullying activists have adopted incredibly overbroad definitions of bullying. The anti-bullying website NoBully.com, and schools like Fox Hill and Alvarado Elementary, define even “eye rolling” and other expressions of displeasure or hostility as bullying, even though doing so raises First Amendment problems.

Since “creating web sites” that “make fun of others” also is deemed “cyberbullying,” conservative websites that poke fun at the president are presumably guilty of cyberbullying under this strange definition.

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"Lez" is a bad word

Australia:

"Taking inspiration from her perennially polarising co-host Kyle Sandilands, it was Jackie O suffering from foot in mouth syndrome yesterday, drawing the ire of gay rights groups following a homophobic on-air remark.

Discussing the topic of middle names just after 6am on the 2DayFM breakfast show, the mother of one said she no longer likes her middle name Ellen because it "sounds a bit lez".

A clear reference to famous US comedian and openly gay chat show queen Ellen DeGeneres, it was no surprise the comment quickly put O in the firing line of gay and lesbian rights advocates and once again surrounded the radio program in controversy, four days into their new radio cycle, The Daily Telegraph reported.

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British student atheists under fire over Mohammed cartoon

We read:

"A row has erupted over an atheist society at a top London University posting a cartoon sketch featuring the prophet Muhammad having a drink with Jesus on its Facebook page.

A student Muslim group is demanding the 'offensive' image of Jesus and Mo having a drink at the bar, taken from an online satirical sketch, be removed from the social networking site.

The president of the Atheist, Secularist and Humanist society at the prestigious University College London (UCL), Robbie Yellon, has stepped down over the controversy. But the Society still refuses to take down the image - claiming its right to defend 'freedom of expression'.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association's protest against the photo has been backed by UCL's Union. A UCL Union statement said: 'The atheist society has agreed they will take more consideration when drawing up publicity for future events.

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Must not mention slavery in mathematics homework

We read:

"An Atlanta elementary school teacher has resigned amid a growing furore over mathematics homework that involved questions concerning slavery.

The third-grade maths problems - which featured such questions as: 'If Frederick got two beatings each day, how many beatings did he get in one week?' - sparked outrage among parents connected with the school, and led to a wider investigation in Gwinnett County in Georgia.

Gwinnett County schools spokeswoman Sloan Roach confirmed that a suburban Atlanta teacher had resigned over the homework at Beaver Ridge Elementary School in Norcross, and a further three were still under investigation.

She says the school system accepted the resignation of the teacher but declined to elaborate on the rest.

Parents were angered by the maths problems, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) had called for the teachers responsible to be fired.

Among other questions deemed offensive in the third-graders' homework, one read: 'Each tree has 56 oranges. If eight slaves pick them equally, then how much would each slave pick?"

A third said: 'Susan B Anthony was fined $100 for voting for president. She only had $25, how much more did she need to pay the fine?'

School officials said it was an attempt to mix social studies with mathematics, but parents were horrified when their children brought the questions home.

The school has claimed that papers containing the offending mathematics problems have since been destroyed to prevent their future use.

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I gather that kids are normally taught in school how evil Whitey is because of the slavery era so past slavery is hardly a secret that must not be mentioned

Not so much fun being an atheist in a Muslim country

They whine about what they have to endure in America -- the terrible pain of prayers being said within earshot of them, mainly. They don't know whem they are well off. It's America's Christian traditions that give them tolerance and respect for their views

"An Indonesian civil servant who declared himself an atheist on Facebook was arrested and is now facing jail for blasphemy after being attacked by an angry mob, police said today.

Alexander An, 30, who wrote "God doesn't exist" on his Facebook page, was beaten by a mob of dozens on Wednesday in his hometown in Pulau Punjung, West Sumatra province.

"He is suspected of having blasphemed against Islam," local police chief Chairul Aziz told AFP.

"The man told police investigators that if God really exists and has absolute power, why didn't he prevent bad things from happening in this world."

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Muslim fanatics who called for execution of gays face up to seven years in jail in Britain

Doubtful that they will get ANY jail -- unlike the white holocaust denier who got 4 years

"Muslim extremists who handed out leaflets calling for homosexuals to be hanged, stoned and burned to death were facing up to seven years in prison last night.

The group handed out the material in the street as well as posting it through letterboxes in a hate-filled campaign calling for the execution of gay people who they claimed were at the root of society’s problems.

Ihjaz Ali, Kabir Ahmed and Razwan Javed are the first to be prosecuted under new laws against inciting hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation.

Yesterday as they were found guilty at Derby Crown Court, residents spoke of how the three fundamentalists wanted to transform their small area of Derby into a ‘medieval state’ under Sharia law. Anyone who dared to question their extreme agenda was branded an ‘M15 agent’ or a ‘sell-out,’ they said.

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