Another one of those Nazi Hugging Free Speechers
The only sure defence against tyranny is the maintenance of a free market in ideas, because it in such a free market that bad ideas can be weighed against good and exposed for what they are. Vile ideologies such as those espoused by the Nazis can never succeed in acquiring political power in a society that values above all the free exchange of ideas and opinions. They can only prevail in a society where the range of ideas and opinions that can be expressed in the public square is limited only to those approved by the state. Joseph C. Ben-Ami, Canadian Center for Policy Studies
I am waiting for the Warman/Kinsella tag team to call Mr. Ben-Ami a crypto-Nazi, or a Nazi enabler, or, perhaps, a neo-Nazi. I mean, really, the man has a coherent argument in support of freedom of speech. Out in the swamplands of the Lying Jackal that’s Nazi speak for sure.
But don’t take my word for it…go read the whole, brilliant, thing.
April 16th, 2008 at 8:27 am
This Lying Jackal of whom you speak – does he bear the Mark of the Beast?
April 16th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Nice try, Jay, but if there was a law on the books that I could use to silence people whose politics differed from mine, and govt-appointed commissions in operation who could be counted on to use that law fully (and only) against people I thought didn’t deserve to have rights, do you think I’d be stupid enough to throw away that advantage just for the sake of consistency, intellectual honesty, and contrary evidence? Get real.
April 16th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
The list does get longer and longer, doesn’t it? Don’t forget to add Deborah Lipstadt and Ken McVay to that list as well.
Of course, like most bullies, when cornered by someone who actually fights back, he’ll get even more petty and shallow. Count on it…
April 17th, 2008 at 2:24 am
Ben-Ami is of course correct in observing that unfetted power is far more dangerous than unfetted speach.
And he has cut to the crux of the battle free speech advocates face with the statist left who wish to control public expression…at least that’s what they are hiding behind…that they are limiting “hate” and offensive speech, but the reality is they are also either intentionally or unintentionally limiting fair political commentary and the right to offend the status quo by dissent and speaking truth to power.
As Gen-Ami has aluded to, in free liberal democratic society any person, organization, orthodoxy or activist who attempts to propel an agenda through the use of the political system and public institutions is fair game for public commentary…even offensive commentary.
Anything less is statist absolutism….and the world has lost 300 million innocent souls to that mistake, why invite it into our political culture through government censure of dissent through the thin guise of “hate speech”?
Patriotic and civilly minded Canadians should “hate” authoritarian solutions. CHR act section 13(1) and it’s cult are promoting assumptive ideological authoritarianism.