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Sunday, February 19, 2006
The best news I've read all week
Looks like some reporters take freedom of the press seriously.
Posted by Ezra Levant on February 19, 2006 | Permalink
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Unfortunately they arn't Canadian and Muslim intolerance remains a taboo subject here. The extremists driving this Islamic fanaticism know that a threat is mighter than the pen in our devolved western media.
Posted by: WLMackenzie redux | 2006-02-19 11:23:40 AM
What I do not understand is that why are Muslims not questioned about their treatment of other faiths?
The Bhamani Buddhas were the tallest standing Buddhas of the ancient world, they were blown up by muslims on national television in 1992 or 93. I was in University then, I recall. So the Muslims have a right to desecrate other faiths or ridicule them, but the press is not allowed to make some stupid harmless cartoons.
Then the Hindus in Afghanistan were being forced to wear yellow cloth on their clothing reminiscent of the Jews in the holocaust, again the Muslims enjoyed the freedom to do anything they want in 1992-93 and onwards.
The Muslims can do whatever they want, ridicule any faith, bash anyone, but we in the West have to give up our rights to appease them? Forget it, if they don't like it here, they can leave or just shut up.
Hindus and Buddhists are ridiculed in the media, advertising, and even cartoons ie Simpsons), but you never see us react violently. As for the Liberal defenders of Islam, they should realise that they should study the SUnnah, Hadith and Koran before trying to defend it, and a woman defending Islam is like someone saying that they wished to be enslaved.
-Cheers
Posted by: GURKHA | 2006-02-19 11:36:11 AM
Did you guys even click Ezra's link? Or you just post your latest brain storm in the first thread available?
Posted by: calgarian | 2006-02-19 11:44:21 AM
Perhaps, given time, the Internet will help bring down the Communist regime in Beijing.
Well...uh...I can dream, can't I?
Posted by: Matthew Vadum | 2006-02-19 11:50:47 AM
incredible. That's the power of the internet - it empowers individuals.
There is, however, a huge difference between China, which, despite its repressive gov't, has moved heavily into capitalist industrialization, into science, higher education -and - electronic information systems - and the Islamic states. All these high education and high technology features empower individuals. The Islamic states don't have any of them.
The Islamic states are at the bottom of the world scale in internet access and computer usage. The people don't have the means to find out what is going on elsewhere, and, without that individual computer access and internet, they have no ability to discuss situations and inform each other. Their ignorance of world events is furthered by the lack of translations of non-Islamic texts. They rely on their imams for 'information' - and we see the disastrous results of that.
Equally, they are among the lowest, internationally, in the percentage of higher educational facilities, in capacities to teach science, in graduating people with skills in computers, science, and technology. This is opposite to China.
So, China is moving itself out of repression, rather quickly. The old leadership is still trying, but, not with the zeal of the old, and certainly, not with any ideology to support that repression. The need for capitalist industrialism, to support its population, far overpowers old communist ideology. The agenda of most Chinese - is to make money. Period.
Posted by: ET | 2006-02-19 11:52:46 AM
speaking of Freedom speech in Alberta Mr Klein
Please can you now also deal with the issue of having more adequate cops, more adequate police commissions as well now, and the RCMP included? without me or somone else being harassed by the Police, Premier for using our free speech too?
Canadian experiences have shown the fact that charges have been laid against any of the bad cops rather means they will next not suffer any real negative personal consequences from the too often pretentious police commissions now as well and this is unacceptable still too, really!
"New Edmonton Alberta police Chief Mike Boyd has talked a lot about restoring accountability and integrity to the troubled Edmonton Police Service. Which is why we're so disappointed that the two EPS members who have been charged in relation to the photo-radar contract scandal have, so far, been allowed to remain on the job. Yes, both individuals are innocent until proven guilty. But these are not two ordinary, run-of-the-mill citizens. They are law-enforcement officers who are empowered by our society with upholding and enforcing the law. Now they face very serious criminal charges. They cannot be allowed to continue working for the police force as if nothing has happened! "
Posted by: paul | 2006-02-19 11:58:20 AM
Brave Chinese journalists, standing up to a Communist government. Here's a commentary by Jeff Jacoby, in the Boston Globe, "When Fear Cows the Media" about editors being afraid of Islam. (He says the Weekly Standard published the cartoons - he must mean the Western Standard.)
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/02/19/when_fear_cows_the_media/
Sample paragraph:
“…the refusal of the US media to show the images at the heart of one of the most urgent stories of the day is not about restraint and good taste. It's about fear. Editors and publishers are afraid the thugs will target them as they targeted Danny Pearl and Theo van Gogh; afraid the mob will firebomb their newsrooms as it has firebombed Danish embassies. ''We will not accept less than severing the heads of those responsible," an imam in Gaza preaches. ''Whoever insults a prophet, kill him," reads the sign carried by a demonstrator in London. Those are not figures of speech but deadly threats, and American newspapers and networks are intimidated...”
Posted by: Bob & Ulli | 2006-02-19 12:33:39 PM
Check out theepochtimes.com for accounts of how journalists, editors, and bloggers have been - and still are - facing prison, torture and death for communicating "forbidden words" like "freedom, "human rights" and "democracy".
The people of Denmark demonstrated their moral courage to stand up for their principals back in the day when Hitler ordered them to mark all Jews with a yellow star. The next day every man, woman, and child, including the King were wearing the yellow star.
I hope they continue to push back against the encroachment of Sharia law and the murdering enforcers of it.
The capitulation of our MSM in North America to the irrational demands of those who hate and want to take away our freedoms is just sickening.
When are the Islamists going to apologize for Sharia law? Not to mention the wholesale slaughter and other atrocities committed against the innocent - for instance in Sudan - where Christian women with babies have their breasts cut off and pastors suffer modern day crucifiction.
Islam literally means submission. We are the infidels - the target of Islamic hate and the MSM seems all too willing to capitulate in the name of protecting "sensitive feelings". Give me a break!!!
Posted by: Javahead | 2006-02-19 12:41:45 PM
Sorry - should have mentioned that the persecuted searchers for and writers of the "forbidden words" are the brave souls in Communist Red China.
Posted by: Javahead | 2006-02-19 12:54:20 PM
My wife moved from China in 1981. She came from Canton province. Her family got on the wrong side of Mao, and were persecuted for years before new leadership allowed them to leave in the 80s. She is still very Chinese, watches the Chinese TV channel, eats, dresses, and thinks Chinese. Even so, you could not pay her enough to go back there. She saw her Grandmother publicly beaten until she finally killed herself to avoid the pain. She saw her father jailed for making a comment that was deemed anti-communist. At age 6 she had to look after her family while her mother was jailed. Her country was turned into a living hell by the communists. I trust her judgement when she says the government there can never be trusted. We seem to have forgotten some of these things when we look to new markets for Canadian products. Growing anti-American opinions have made us feel more comfortable dealing with Asia. We should think again. I'm a lot more comfortable signing long term energy contracts with a coutry that shares the same chunk of ground, as well as the same type of government, than with a recycled communist regime.
Posted by: dan | 2006-02-19 1:53:34 PM
Dan, would to God more people would realize the mistake we're doing by trading with the Chinese.
I posted that awhile back, here in Alberta, we had a Chinese delegation come over and we white hatted, 'wined and dined' them. Basicially showed them the house on how we drilled, the machinery, techniques used and so on - more or less wanting to do a "shock and awe" in order to get lucrative oil contracts over there.
They took pictures and notes, thanked us, went back and did everything themselves from what they learned/copied from over here.
Ha! Funny if it wasn't sad or prophetic. We give billions of dollars to China to help (foreign aide) and what happens? They come over and buy up our tarsands and mineral rights - no doubt with our money.
China, as well as Islam, is the world's greatest threat to Western freedom and we're blissfully ignorant of it, but payday is coming soon.
I pray we would wake up and be ready.
cheers
tom
Posted by: tomax | 2006-02-19 2:19:30 PM
ISLAM HAS BEEN CAUGHT LYING TO ENTIRE WORLD!
Many Muslims have been telling us that it is an "insult" and it is "blasphemous" to show or depict images of Muhammad. However it appears that a popular Egyptian newspaper has shown the very same cartoons of Muhammad, including the "bomb on head" one, for all Egyptians to see. Guess what? There were no riots!
see for yourself:
http://egyptiansandmonkey.blogspot.com/2006/02/boycott-egypt.html
Posted by: Doug | 2006-02-20 7:20:27 PM
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