This is not a political blog and will not become one. But I have chosen to link this weblog to what is definitely a political blog, that of Ezra Levant, in order to indicate my support for him and his campaign.
For those who have not heard of him, he is being persecuted by the Canadian Human Rights Commission for daring to express some thoughts that that government organisation thought were unacceptable. He published the Danish cartoons on Mohammed in Canada, in fact.
Canada has no legal right of free speech. In fact it has so-called “anti-hate” laws — the government deciding what views it calls ‘hate’! — designed to stifle free expression. In Canada, the HRC is the organ of enforcement, and it has got very greedy with its powers.
This weblog is focused on antiquity, not political or religious controversy. There must be few weblogs likely to attract the ire of the professionally offended than this one.
But on the other hand, when a state creates a body designed to ‘chill’ discussion, to enforce a programme of Right Thinking, I fear that we are all at risk. This is why I have decided to indicate my support for Ezra, and I hope that you will all do likewise. whatever your politics or religion. His blog makes chilling reading.
I won’t repeat it all here. Ezra expresses the problem with wit and charm, and I can safely leave you in his hands.
The rise of the internet has meant a general increase in personal freedom for ordinary people. As might be expected, there is no lack of greedy businessmen or politicians or pressure groups who would love to take it over. To do so, they will claim to ‘protect us’ against something; even if they have to manufacture that threat. The Canadian HRC’s were brought into existence after Neo-Nazi’s appeared in Canada in the 70’s. Yet it turns out that these Neo-Nazi’s were trained and organised by an agent of the Canadian Jewish Congress, precisely to stir up enough anger that “hate laws” to stifle free speech might be enacted. This was unwise; and now it is Islamic extremists making use of the same precedents to stifle Jews who criticise Islam. The list of “things that may not be thought” grows longer every year, of course, as every pressure group naturally rushes to try to get itself added to the list of privileged groups who may not be criticised.
All this is a nasty, Nazi business. I do not want to write this blog in fear that I will be treated as Ezra has been. If I publish a translation of Michael Paleologus, Dialogue with a learned Moslem — as quoted by Pope Benedict XV — I don’t want some civil servant hauling me in for “a discussion.”
Do we want that sort of censorship? Let’s support the man, and express our contempt for any government that can abolish free speech in response to a dishonest campaign by a self-interested pressure group.