Are we not men?

Well, maybe only in terms of strict phylogenetic taxonomy do I qualify... darn these 46DDs. Still, these things may interfere with my typing, and make it impossible to sleep facing downward, but the don't get in the way of my standing up for what is right, standing up for freedom wherever it is threatened, and standing in support of those who take the real risks in defense of freedom.

And so, it is with great pleasure that I answer the call from Michelle Malkin, Ed Morrissey, and others of the not-so-meek-and-mild persuasion in the blogosphere. You may notice, at the top of the sidebar, I have posted a copy of one of the more famous "Mohammed" cartoons which were originally printed in Jyllands-Posten, more than a year ago, and which, it was claimed, sparked much violence around the world.

Well, by cracky, it's time to remind people that freedom still isn't free. There are still death threats made regularly against these cartoonists, and that the "people" who would kill a man for speaking his opinion -- having already taken the life of Pim Fortuyn, Theo Van Gogh, and many others -- are still out there, and still a threat.

We must demonstrate our solidarity -- sammenhold -- with those who have been so bold as to risk all for freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and all the subsequent freedoms guaranteed by protecting those first two. The least I can do is this.

Pass the word, and pass the picture onward.

More about free speech case in Finland

Baron Bodissey has posted an update or five on the Mikko Ellilä case as it comes up before the long arm of the law...

The one thing to point out is that few, so far, actually like the sort of thing that Ellilä says -- it is silly, offensive, even racist. What this is about is a person's right to speak (or blog) his mind.

How do simple statements of belief suddenly morph into a threat to the public? There is no evidence that, in his blog -- anywhere -- Ellilä did anything more than say some things which many rational people would deem impolite. There seems to be no call to rise up in violence against others, there is no finger-pointing or crying "fire" in a crowded theater.

If the decision goes against people like Mikko Ellilä, when will they start globally tracking down and arresting those who truly do incite people to violence?

As a free, educated American, I do not understand the drive of a portion of any nation -- especially those whose histories are chock-full of liberties -- to limit freedoms. Do the people who press for speech codes, who press for "hate crimes" laws, who press for special treatment for certain categories of citizens not understand that, eventually, the legislation will backfire on them? Do they not understand these laws as genuinely hypocritical, as well as, over the long run, indefensible and unenforceable?

How does plain, ordinary, brutal violence become something "special" when it comes accompanied by a racial or sexist slur? How does one gauge whether a savage "spree" killer is worse because he was motivated by racial hatred or by a perceived social slight? Don't results count for anything, these days?

And where is it written that free people have the right to be protected, by law, from having their feelings hurt by some arrogant or spiteful nonsense? I guess we're approaching the day and age when, in the freest nations, sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will get you twenty years in Marion.

Free speech threatened in Finland

Finland has long had a reputation as one of the freest states in Europe. That's why it comes as a surprise to many of us that some long-standing codes codes against "hate speech" are being used to prosecute one citizen-blogger this week. Gates of Vienna has the whole story, and will continue to update everybody. Keep checking back with them.

So, a free nation is threatening to jail a blogger for speaking his politically incorrect mind. There seems to be no indication that he has incited people to go out and riot, or attack and kill anybody... there seems to be nothing more than a sense of his telling his readers "dude, these people are dangerous, and here's why." And, yet, the government is working against his free speech. How come this sounds so familiar?

I can't read Finnish, so I can't be certain Mikko Ellilä is genuinely "merely... point[ing] out that Islam is a fascist ideology that advocates killing Jews, atheists, homosexuals etc." or using stronger terms. Nevertheless, Finland just got over investigating with initial intent to prosecute a publisher who made available in print the "dread cartoons of Muhammad." The Finnish government, like the Danes only a few weeks earlier, were a hair's breadth away from fining, jailing, silencing people for printing news. They're still only that distance from it, in Finland, it seems.

This is one of the reasons I've long mistrusted speech codes. Seldom (never?) are they applied in a balanced and just fashion, for the good of all. Far too often, they're used to silence -- instead of protect -- the public.

BCRA proves itself suppressor of free speech

The so-called McCain-Feingold Act, ostensibly designed to prevent corruption in political campaigns, has struck again, according to this from Ed Morrissey at CQ. Little by little, it is proving itself to be the wreck we feared.

A NASCAR driver is its latest victim.

Right now, I think I can safely say, every branch of our Government should get seriously slapped, on this one. Congress should never have passed this unconstitutional abomination, the POTUS should have vetoed it, and, since the first two "shouldas" didna, the half-assed SCOTUS should have addressed it long ago and thrown it into the nearest toxic landfill.

Boot to the head to all of these jokers. Can we get them all recalled to the factory for reconditioning, so they'll actually recognize their responsibilities? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeze?

McCain's good intentions paving way to hell again

Senator McCain, in trying to stop campaign corruption with his Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA), helped to create a much messier, more corrupt system -- one which put power into the hands of the likes of Soros and Abrams.

He's at it again, this time on the case of internet porn. The man obviously means well. But he's a jackass.

I don't like people who use and abuse kids -- especially sexual abuses -- any more than McCain does. But he's trying to draft a law to prosecute people who don't do anything, and the law (at least, according to law prof Glenn Reynolds) is so vague that individual bloggers could be jailed if they don't report an offhand comment made on one of their blogsites.

When will John McCain grow up and stop trying to use the law to destroy the Constitution?

Minutemen suing Columbia U for hate crimes

Okay, this is thirdhand, so, until you can find better sources for this, just treat this as gossip, but Mom just came upstairs to say that she heard on Fox that the members of the Minutemen who were scheduled to speak last week at Columbia U -- and who were forced off the stage by a mob of moonbats -- are suing Columbia for hate crimes. They are also demanding a serious apology, and that the head of the university resign for his inaction toward protecting free speech on campus.

If this news is true, I hope they win.

Google set to buy YouTube

It looks as though the deal for Google to buy YouTube is okayed, for $1.65 billion. Unity strengthens one's convictions.

That ought to prove they're against censorship at Google... or, at YouTube...

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