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Journalist in France Convicted for Anti-Muslim Hate Speech

By Selwyn Duke

We’ve heard a lot about Geert Wilders, the Dutch parliamentarian whose warnings about Muslim influence in his nation place him in the crosshairs of the powers-that-be.  But while the tow-headed modern-day Templar has thus far dodged the hangman on Truth-speech charges, another intrepid defender of Western civilization has not been so lucky.  And we haven’t heard much about him.

He is French journalist Eric Zemmour, and he was just convicted this week of “inciting racism.”  Writes The New American’s R. Cort Kirkwood:

The Tyranny of Human Rights Commissions

By Selwyn Duke

If you want to know what lies just a little ways further down the rabbit hole of political correctness, go north, Western man. If you do, you’ll wind up in Canada, where the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal (OHRT) has given us what columnist Margaret Wente calls “The case of the smelly lunch.” But it smells more like tyranny.

The saga started when Maxcine Telfer, owner of a Mississauga-based operation that helps immigrant women find jobs, Audmax Inc., hired a gal named Seema Saadi as an “intake worker.” But finding a job and keeping one are two different things, and Miss Saadi went on the outtake line after only six weeks. This is, of course, when the trouble started.

Saadi went to the OHRT and, writes Wente, “complained of discrimination and harassment because of her race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, ethnic origin, disability (she is legally blind), creed and sex,” an eight-category discrimination cocktail that would make Telfer champion bartender of the bias-raised bar. What was Saadi’s specific complaint? Wente tells us:

Read the rest here.

Is it Time to Expand the Fairness Doctrine?

By Selwyn Duke

In keeping with the demagogue’s credo “Never let a good tragedy go to waste,” some among us are extracting as much mileage from the Jared Loughner massacre as they can.  It is being used to raise money and reduce freedom, with the latter amounting to calls for gun and speech control.  And among these calls is the proposal to resurrect the Fairness Doctrine (FD).

The basic idea behind the legislation is that if a radio station airs some controversial opinion, time must be provided for the “other side.”  And quite coincidentally, I’m sure, this is only to be applied to talk radio, an arena in which the “other side” happens to be the left side.

Online Society, Offline Civilization: How the Internet is Ushering in the End of the Age

By Selwyn Duke

When people discuss the overall effects of the Internet, they will weigh the good and the bad.  On one side, they may mention how the Web, along with talk radio, has broken the stranglehold over public opinion the mainstream media once enjoyed; on the other, they may cite the pernicious effects of pornography, cyber-bullying or the loss of privacy.  Whatever the analysis and verdict, though, it never truly captures how tangled a Web we have woven.  This is because seldom recognized is a simple and profound fact: The Internet is one of the most powerful forces ever unleashed by mankind.

Ann Coulter, Hate Speech and Human Rights Commissions

The conservative firebrand tries to hoist the speech-stifling left on its own human-rights petards.

By Selwyn Duke

Most of us probably remember that standard elementary-school threat, “I’m gonna tell!” which meant that an appeal to authority for redress was in the offing. The one issuing it was sometimes a tattletale, but, regardless, since children aren’t fully-formed beings, their lives often have to be micromanaged. They don’t enjoy the freedom of adulthood.

Will Politically Incorrect Opinion Become a Hate Crime?

By Selwyn Duke

Many of us have heard about Geert Wilders, the Dutch parliamentarian currently on trial in Holland because he criticized Islam. It’s shocking to many that you could be charged with a hate crime for expressing an opinion, but such prosecutions are not unheard of in the Western world beyond American shores. After all, most nations have nothing tantamount to our First Amendment. But could such a thing happen in the land of the (mostly) free as well?

If a “human relations” task force in California has its way, the answer will be yes. Its victims are two Lancaster, Calif., city officials: Mayor R. Rex Parris and Councilman Sherry Marquez. Their sins? Parris told a group of Christian ministers, “We are growing Christian community — and don't let anybody shy away from that.” And Marquez posted quotations on her Facebook page from Muslim leaders encouraging adherents to win the world for Islam along with excerpts from the Bible that encourage Christians to defend themselves.

Read the rest here.

Congressman Joins Michael Savage in Fight Against U.K. Government

Talk show host Michael Savage is finally getting some support from the political world in his battle against the British government. But while the intrepid radio star will no doubt prevail, is his case a portent of things to come?   

By Selwyn Duke

After six months on a list of individuals banned from travel to Britain, talk show host Michael Savage finally has an ally in government. Taking up the cudgels for the radio star, Texas congressman John Culberson has written a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urging her to pressure the U.K. into rescinding the travel ban.

This story began on May 5, when Britain’s Home Office created a real “What’s wrong with this picture?” scenario, announcing that Savage was lumped in with terrorists, murderers and neo-Nazis on the banned list. And it appears that they did this simply to “balance” out Muslims on the list and avoid accusations of bigotry. As to this, the U.K.’s Daily Mail cited British government documents released under a freedom of information law and wrote:

Read the rest here.

The Blasphemy Resolution Story: A Clarification

By Selwyn Duke

Recently I wrote a piece titled "Obama Pushing Secular UN Anti-Free Speech Resolution," wherein I reported on Barack Obama's support of a Muslim-inspired United Nations anti-blasphemy resolution. In it I cited a liberal professor named Jonathan Turley, who wrote the following:

While attracting surprisingly little attention, the Obama administration supported the effort of largely Muslim nations in the U.N. Human Rights Council to recognize exceptions to free speech for any "negative racial and religious stereotyping." The exception was made as part of a resolution supporting free speech that passed this month, but it is the exception, not the rule that worries civil libertarians.... It is viewed as a transparent bid to appeal to the "Muslim street" and our Arab allies, with the administration seeking greater coexistence through the curtailment of objectionable speech. Though it has no direct enforcement (and is weaker than earlier versions), it is still viewed as a victory for those who sought to juxtapose and balance the rights of speech and religion.

Elderly Woman Persecuted for Expressing Christian Beliefs
This is yet another story about an English Christian being persecuted for voicing her beliefs. In this case the victim is Pauline Howe, who received a visit from the police after writing a letter to local authorities expressing displeasure with a homosexual parade.

Free Speech is Dead in England - Conquered by Islam

Could you imagine being brought up on criminal charges simply for debating religion with a Moslem? Well, that's exactly what happened to the two English Christians featured in this news report.

After Ben And Sharon Vogelenzang engaged in a debate about faith with an Islamic woman, the latter complained that she felt "offended" by their beliefs. This led to the arrest of the couple, who now face a criminal trial on December 8.

Sadly, this is not that unusual in the U.K., as numerous Englishmen have been arrested for "hate speech," specious "racial offenses" or some variation thereof. In fact, I will shortly post a second video about another U.K. Christian who was persecuted for expressing her beliefs.

This should serve as a shot across the bow to all of us. Make no mistake, unless something upsets the apple cart (which is likely), we'll see hate-speech laws in the U.S. in the not-too-distant future.

Oh, would anyone like to hazard a guess on whether or not the Moslem woman in this case was arrested? Well, I guess all offense is equal, but some is more equal than others.

Paging George Orwell.

Hat tip: Shaun, a frequent reader.