Damned If I Do

2008-06-06 - 1:21 p.m.

Worked the Grad Night last night until 2am. Then came home and fell down.

It was a small group, so there really wasn't too much to do. Very easy work - and I got paid, too!

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Michael Tomasky, correspondent for the UK Guardian, believes that Hillary's demand for the VP slot sends this message to Obama:

"Don't choose me, and Bill and I will subtly work to see that you lose; choose me and look like a weakling who can't lead the party without the Clintons, after all."

Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

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One of my favorite columnists, Mark Steyn, is being sued in Canada under a section of their Human Rights Act. A magazine published an excerpt from his book "America Alone", which is critical of Muslim extremists. And so the leader the "Canadian Islamic Congress" - who claims to speak for ALL Canadian Muslims - says that Islam has been offended, and Steyn and the magazine need to be punished.

Steyn should be able to claim "free speech", right? Ah, but in Canada they have a "Human Rights Commission", who is charged with ruling on such "offenses". At these commissions, "a respondent has none of the defences formerly guaranteed in common law. The truth is no defence, reasonable intention is no defence, nor material harmlessness, there are no rules of evidence, no precedents, nor case law of any kind. The commissars running the tribunals need have no legal training, exhibit none, and owe their appointments to networking among leftwing activists".

These tribunals also have a 100% conviction rate in "hate speech"-type cases. That's not a typo. Every single case brought before them by someone who has been "offended" has gone to the offended. The "offenders" - i.e., the losers at these so-called "trials" - "have been persecuted, stripped of their livelihoods and savings, demonized among their neighbours, [and] made to endure humiliating 're-education' programmes".

The Canadian media isn't helping, although this case could very effectively muzzle them:

The bland acceptance of this jackass [president of the "Canadian Islamic Congress"], by mainstream Canadian media, as the definitive spokesman for Muslim interests in Canada, cannot be blamed on the Muslim community. Innumerable Muslims have disavowed him, and yet are entirely ignored. Indeed: Mark Steyn has been among the few journalists distinguishing between camps. He would be: for he has plenty of Muslim supporters.

Muslims are SPEAKING UP - and are being IGNORED.

Steyn has said that, if the tribunal rules against him, it will effectively end his career in Canada. How many journalists have fled oppressive regimes because they were told they couldn't speak openly? I can think of one, right now. Steyn currently lives in the United States, on the East Coast.

I for one am happy to have him.

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Another of my favorite columnists, Thomas Sowell, talks here about the upcoming election.

And George Will writes how we've gotten the gas prices we deserve.

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Are you a lawyer who files class-action lawsuits?

Congratulations - you just got a $1.6 billion tax break!

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Okay, I have some errands to run before the gig tonight.

Be seeing you.

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