Pubdate: Thu, 24 Jan 2008
Source: Red Deer Advocate (CN AB)
Copyright: 2008 Red Deer Advocate
Contact:  http://www.reddeeradvocate.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2492
Author: Lee Giles

FREE SPEECH IS BEING TRAMPLED

It's perplexing how truly heroic Canadians are often persecuted and 
scoundrels celebrated.

Consider, for instance, how ironic it is that Order of Canada awards 
have been issued to Holocaust defender David Ahenakew and crooks like 
Conrad Black and Alan Eagleson (admittedly, before they got into 
trouble); meanwhile, real patriots like Ezra Levant and Marc Emery 
have yet to be recognized.

Adding insult to injury is the fact that the United States Drug 
Enforcement Agency, with the help of Canada's federal government, is 
about to imprison Vancouver's Emery.

Similarly, the Alberta Human Rights Commission (AHRC) appears about 
to tar and feather Calgary lawyer and journalist Levant.

It's a crazy world, isn't it?

And what have Levant and Emery done to get into anyone's bad books?

Mostly they've rocked the boat and spoken out against injustice, 
especially threats to freedom of speech.

Levant, the former publisher of the defunct Western Standard 
magazine, is in the doghouse for publishing cartoons - yes, cartoons 
- - that a few misguided people want to keep the world from seeing.

While the Danish cartoons criticizing Islam may not be in the best 
taste, they certainly shouldn't be banned anymore than should artwork 
mocking other creeds or public figures.

Canada is a democracy - get used to it!

Fortunately, Levant is earning rave reviews from journalists and 
other freedom-of-speech advocates for his recent appearance before 
the AHRC, when he revealed the commission to be a kangaroo court. 
(You can watch video of his encounter with investigator Shirlene 
McGovern by visiting EzraLevant.com)

His witty written submission to the AHRC, which can also be found on 
the Internet, was recently published by The Calgary Herald.

In it, Levant makes it clear that he expects to be found guilty of 
discrimination and welcomes such a silly ruling as it will focus 
attention on the AHRC's shortcomings.

Commenting on Levant's case, writer David Warren wisely observes in 
The Ottawa Citizen that complainants often take their beefs to human 
rights commissions "because they are not good enough to stand up in a 
legitimate court of law."

Levant ought to be congratulated for defending freedom of speech.

As for Emery, he has a long history of fighting unjust laws.

Years ago, he opened an Ontario book store he owned on a Sunday 
(which was illegal at the time).

Later, at that same store, he sold banned books and music to protest 
censorship.

More recently, he's sold marijuana seeds to adults - effectively 
thumbing his nose at our anachronistic pot laws (although he's paid 
taxes on his earnings).

Canada's so-called Prince of Pot reached a plea bargain with U.S. 
officials on Monday over his Internet sales of marijuana seeds simply 
because it's the only way he can keep them from jailing two of his employees.

The deal means he will have to spend at least half of his 10-year 
sentence behind bars.

He should not be incarcerated for a single minute.

Canada and the U.S. need to recognize the real movers and shakers in 
society are the people who dare to take a stand, even if that stand 
is unpopular.

Remember, when Martin Luther King Jr. spoke out in favour of civil 
rights, his views were relatively unpopular - particularly with 
government and law enforcement.

At the time, he was widely viewed as a troublemaker - not unlike 
Levant or Emery today.

Yet, as the decades passed, the public and even Supreme Court judges 
have come to realize the wisdom of his words.

That will eventually happen with Levant and Emery, too, although it 
would be silly to suggest their influence will be as great.

In any case, it's time for Ottawa and the provincial governments to 
scrap human rights commissions, or failing that, at least reform them 
so they can regain a bit of credibility.

At present, they simply discourage reasonable public debate and 
reward complainers - with taxpayers generally picking up the 
complainers' costs.

As for Emery's recent legal difficulties, when will politicians 
realize the war on weed was lost long ago?

Pierre Trudeau once said that the state has no place in the bedrooms 
of the nation.

It's time for Washington, Ottawa and Edmonton to realize government 
has no business invading the personal lives of citizens and no right 
to stomp on freedom of speech.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake