Round-Up, Shriveling Weeds and Catching Horses

On the subject of freedom to shut up, the Vancouver Olympics is looking likely to become an exercise in exactly how totalitarian can we get while everyone is distracted watching scantily clad people figure skating. How about... only "celebratory" signs or a $10,000 fine and 6 months in jail?

Official word is that only has to do with "ambush marketing" not speech critical of the Olympics. Except that....the bylaw doesn't specify that. It seems the B.C. Civil Liberties Union, amongst others, is not amused.

Good news is that the Prime Minister has come in on the side of free speech, saying that freedom of speech "...is what our country is all about". News flash Mr. Harper, Sir. Unless you want to have the press howling the word hypocrite at you, you might want to consider the connection between that statement and Section 13. Why shouldn't Vancouver expect to get away with it if YOUR people in Ottawa can?

There will however be "free speech zones" which in the mind of some people should be enough to satisfy everyone. If I may be so bold as to reprint a letter to the editor written by someone on a similar occasion,

"In light of SUU officials plan to designate "Free Speech Zones" on campus, I thought I'd offer my assistance. Grab a map. OK, ready?

All right, you see that big area between Canada and Mexico, surrounded by lots of blue ink on the East and West? You see it?

There's your (my edit) Free Speech Zone.

Jeffrey Wilbur

Senior communication major from Bountiful"

If I could venture a criticism Mr Wilbur I would change it to, "...see that big area above Mexico surrounded by lots of blue ink on the East and West and white paint along the top?"

For the record, if anyone can find me a "I am critical of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics" button for my sidebar, I'll put it up. I don't think Vancouver has jurisdiction in Ontario. Hope not anyway.

Britain's "The Guardian" has decided to play a 1984. History we don't like, doesn't exist. And since we don't like the idea that Israelis could achieve anything worthy of recognition, they haven't.

By the way, you should notice that the Israelis who won, Shimon Perez, Yitzhak Rabin, and Menachem Begin, won for their peace treaties with the Arabs. The Arabs who took part in the treaties and shared the Nobel prizes, Yasser Arafat and Anwar Sadat, weren't edited out. So here is our lesson for the day, why should Israel attempt peace when the world is going to hate and censor them if they try?

I know. The Guardian is sick. Actually worse than sick.

Gotta love this passage: "Parent, if you have a young son and you want him to grow up to be a man, then you need to keep him away from pop culture, public school and a lot of Nancy Boy churches. If metrosexual pop culture, feminized public schools and the effeminate branches of evanjellycalism lay their sissy hands on him, you can kiss his masculinity good-bye—because they will morph him into a dandy." Doug Giles (Apparently his girls don't rate very high on the sissy list either. Not while taking down ACORN in their spare time anyway)

Quote of the Month

"Hollywood has the best moral compass, because it has compassion." Harvey Weinstein with reference to why they are supporting Roman Polanski.

Hey keep it down back there, don't you know that you can choke to death if you laugh too hard?

P.S. Double points to anyone who can identify the compass picture and why it is significant.

"...giving school officials discretion holds the potential for discrimination and requires the kind of threat assessments that only law enforcement is equipped to make."

Because NO ONE does impartial and common sense like the government....Oh wait, school boards are the government, right? My head hurts.