“Governmental respect for individual freedom and the autonomy of nongovernmental spheres of authority is, then, a requirement of political morality. Government must not try to run people’s lives or usurp the roles and responsibilities of families, religious beliefs, and other character-and-culture-forming authoritative communities. The usurpation of the just authority of families, religious communities, and other institutions is unjust in principle, often seriously so, and the record of big government in the twentieth century–even when it has not degenerated into vicious totalitarianism–shows that it does little good in the long run and frequently harms those it seeks to help.”
~ Robert P. George on “Law and Moral Purpose“
Steyn News Items
~ THE LAUNCH OF THE CaNN Lambeth Conference News Site: “The unofficial website for Lambeth 2008, from the producers of CaNNet” …. (lambethconference)
~ MARK STEYN: First They Came For Piglet– “By insisting on re-labeling terrorism committed by Muslims in the name of Islam as “anti-Islamic activity,” Her Majesty’s government is engaging not merely in Orwellian Newspeak but in self-defeating Orwellian Newspeak”; and Rex v. Human Rights Commission; and “The march of the maniac” …. (Various)
~ CONE OF SILENCE LIFTS! Canada’s largest newspaper belatedly tiptoes in …. (thestar.com)
~ SALIM MANSOUR— “Last week I commented on the outrageousness of the Human Rights Commissions in Canada accepting frivolous complaints as is the one brought by the Canadian Islamic Congress against Maclean’s magazine. The greater shame than the HRC bureaucrats’ putting chill on free speech is, however, the lack of outrage in the mainstream media, and public apathy on an issue that strikes at the heart of Canadian democracy.” …. (torontosun)
~ REX MURPHY— “Coming to a human rights commission near you— With their current agenda, Canada’s HRCs may run out of fuel.” Our copy …. (globeandmail)
~ NAME THAT SHOWTRIAL! “Freedom of speech is an American concept, so I don’t give it any value.” …. (kraalspace.blog)
~ DEBORAH GYAPONG— “A Great report on the Mark Steyn freedom of speech controversy” …. (deborahgyapong.blog)
~ DAVID FRUM on the destruction of individual liberty …. (nationalpost.com)
~ HUGH HEWITT: “Steyn v. The Canadian Human Rights Commission” …. (hh)
~ SHAIDLE— The latest on Steyn and Levant; Marathon readings of America Alone? (Outside Steyn’s tribunal, perhaps?) …. (rightwingnews)
~ MUMBLE, MUMBLE, MUTTER.. “In the wake of Parvez’s murder, one would hope for moral clarity from the Canadian Muslim community. But with a few exceptions, the usual suspects issued the usual apologetics” …. (fivefeetoffury)
~ JASON KENNEY.. hmm.. that name seems familiar, somehow: “Liberal-linked Canadian Arab Federation attacks Jason Kenney over Durban II decision”; Canada will not take part in racist conference …. (stevejanke)
~ ON THE ABSURDITY of prosecuting thought crime; via …. (freedominourtime.blog)
~ WHY LOOKY THERE: Remember that nice man at the Ryerson forum on the hatemonger Steyn? Had along list of accomplishments & honours.. Khaled-something or other? His group, the Canadian Arab Federation has lovely friends, like Muslim fundamentalist Zafar Bangash, who peacefully & tolerantly “refers to the vast majority of Canadians — that being non-Muslims — as “kuffar or kufr“, which means non-believers and infidels, calls on all Muslims to either commit and “prepare ourselves to make the kinds of sacrifice that were required of Ibrahim (sacrificing his son) … or we rely solely on material resources and sink to the level of the kuffar,” (Feb. 2004) More here, via BlazingCatFur …. (cfrb.com)
~ BRIAN LILLEY— “Free Speech Under Attack in Canada?” …. (cfrb.com)
~ PAKISTAN-BORN Anglican Bishop Against Islamic Apartheid, by Mark D. Tooley. IN other news from the UK, “Al-Qaeda in Britain threatens suicide attacks on Brown and Blair”; and “Has the West Lost its Manhood?” …. (Various)
~ EVIL PAPIST OVERLORD: “Pope takes on media for ‘distorted morals'”– you know, like keeping silent on an issue of freedom of speech & freedom of the press …. (americanthinker)
~ THOUGHTS ON OUR UNELECTED BETTERS: “The grandiose self, left to its own devices with minimal interference from or integration with its counterpart, the idealized object, becomes the prototype of the tyrant–cold, ruthless, and without pity for others” …. (drsanity.blog)
~ PAGING Khaled Loufti Mouammar: “Oppose UN Resolution Condoning Hamas Rocket Attacks TODAY”; and now that their Apartheid-Wall is broken, “Palestinians Stone Egyptian Guards at Gaza Crossing” …. (canadafreepress, gatewaypundit.blog)
~ TOLERANT & PEACE-LOVING Islamic Cleric to Iowa Legislature: Give Us ‘Victory Over Those Who Disbelieve‘ [i.e., dirty kuffar infidels, slaves of the Greater & Lesser Satans] …. (Various)
~ MARK SHEA— “Efforts Continue to be Made to Explain Why the Islamic World isn’t all That Backward. It’s important to maintain that fiction if you are going to support the grand secular lie that Christianity is indistinguishable from Islam. So you make sweeping claims about the oppressiveness of the Church and don’t ask why both the Renaissance and Scientific Revolution were born in a Christian cradle while simultaneously saying “Muslims invented chess and algebra once–long ago”. Yes. Very long ago. Never forget that the savages who committed 9/11 had to steal western tech to do it.” …. (markshea.blog)
~ WISDOM: “Boycotting, and getting all caught up in the anger of the world and the “hurt feelings” that are overwhelming simple reason in our age, is the common way – and the “sensational” way – in which we are enthralled at insult and in love with our passion” …. (theanchoressonline)
“We have not yet made the commitment to define and solve the problem as it exists. As a result we are forced to make concessions to a parasitic cultural disease. Caliphate Islam is attempting to burrow into and control the heart and mind of Western Civilization. Unless we can reclaim the vocabulary with which to identify and talk about it, we are at its mercy. The only thing standing in our way is our misunderstanding of our own principals….”
Ee-Zed News Links & Backgrounders
~ ON THE Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission and Free Speech …. (hmmm)
~ REVOLT OF THE Canadians? Via God’s Copy Book …. (godscopybook.blog)
~ IF YOU MISSED IT ON XM, the latest PJM Political is online. It includes an interview with Ezra Levant on his run-in with the Canadian “Human Rights” Commission …. (instapundit.com)
~ VIA P2BC— Follow-up: CNN’s Glenn Beck follows Ezra Levant interview with notes in newsletter and site …. (proudtobecanadian)
~ TORONTO STAR: Censorship not the answer– “Ezra Levant is a tough guy to defend. In general, he cherishes everything I abhor, and abhors everything I cherish. Still, he is mostly right in his quixotic battle against the Alberta Human Rights Commission” …. (www.thestar.com)
~ TERRY GLAVIN on the young Afgan journalist facing death for blasphemy– “I first raised Kaambakhsh’s case almost two weeks ago, to provide some context for all the hyperbole surrounding Ezra Levant’s troubles, about which Alan Borovoy has now had more than a few intelligent things to say”; and “The UN, of all people, urges review of journo’s death sentence for blasphemy in Afghanistan”. UN: Death sentence for journalist a “possible misuse of the judicial process” …. (Various)
~ BROCK: “Freespeecher” is the “new Leftist perjorative”. You know, like Majoritarian, Democratophiliac, and Truthist (and here at The WebElf Report, we’re also crusading Jesus-mongers. SDA: “New On The Liberal Fascist Runway” …. (fivefeetoffury, sda)
~ FRENCH EDITOR back in court over Muhammad toons that “drew an offensive link between Islam and terrorism” …. (jihadwatch)
~ SENIOR CBC producer (!) condemns “the intolerance of the secular” …. (5f0f)
~ MORE ATTEMPTED critic-silencing via lawfare: “UK: Islamic group fails in legal attempt to silence opponent of mega-mosque”; elsewhere, The European Initiative “Cities against Islamization” …. (jihadwatch, gatesofvienna)
~ THE NEW CRITERION: Freedom’s collapse …. (newcriterion)
~ PAGING DR. ELMASRY! — EGYPT: TEMPERS FLARE INTO MELEE AT CONVERT’S HEARING– Upcoming ruling to set legal precedent for freedom to change religious affiliation …. (compassdirect.org)
~ HUMAN RIGHTS FUN @ THE U.N. — The Human Rights Council calls for urgent international action to “end grave Israeli violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”; UN Delegate: “Israelis Are the New Nazis.” WHOA, there, hombre: we thought Steyn & Levant & Co. were the Nazis. Who da Nazi? It’s all so confusing …. (eyeontheun.org, gatewaypundit.blog)
~ VERBOTEN! Professor disciplined for academic speech …. (bettnet.com)
~ VICTIMHOOD 101: A SHORT COURSE ON HOW TO OBTAIN AND NURTURE IT IN TODAY’S WORLD; and “the left doesn’t care about the fanatics that want to destroy us (Hey! After all, these jihadists represent the pure and perfect revolutionaries that the left has always dreamed of ! ) because they are far too wrapped up in their postmodern marxist narcissism and the histrionic nihilism that it engenders. As one of their own once said, “In the long-run, we’re all dead.” …. (drsanity.blog)
~ THE BIG PICTURE: “Political Correctness is Unilateral Cultural Disarmament. As bad as it is here in the U.S. it is even worse in Israel” …. (breathofthebeast.blog)
~ THE HORROR! Glenn Reynolds on THE THREE POTENTIALLY OFFENSIVE PIGS: What’s amazing is how people are willing to make fools of themselves to avoid imaginary offense. Nobody worries that much about offending me …. (instapundit.com)
~ ATLANTA: Jihadist professor still waging courtroom jihad. Stephen Coughlin and three views on jihad …. (jihadwatch.org)
~ EUROPE: Mind Numbing Immigration Stats– “The facts are in the numbers … like the religious crimes, or car barbecues, or the 751 no-go Muslim zones of France or the constantly growing Muslim only regions of other European cities”; and “Killing Culture to be Politically Correct” …. (cjunk.blog)
~ WHY WE TEASE— “..any person or institution that is not explicitly conservative will inevitably dissipate and drift toward liberalism, in keeping with man’s corrupted nature + the law of cosmic gravity, or 2 + 2 = forewarned. This is why one searches in vain for any left-wing levity. These O-holes can neither elevate nor laugh at themselves, which is why it is so important for us to laugh at them twice as hard for their spiritual benefit. My laughty relevations are intended to be a guffaw-ha experience, a wake-up call for the benefit of the alarming clucks among us” ….(onecosmos.blog)
~ THE PEOPLE’S CUBE— “Roger Waters takes ‘The Wall’ Concerts to 57 Islamic Countries to Protest against Sharia Law and Execution of Homosexuals by having Walls Fall on Them.” No word on concert tour for the Egypt-Gaza Wall …. (thepeoplescube)
A Swift Sunrise 