Let me repeat part of that again - after a complaint from "a listener" - that's right - one listener. So one person complains, and that is enough for this type of absolutely ridiculous determination and ruling. They have got to be kidding - but sadly, I know they aren't. In my opinion, a stupid and dangerous precedent that does not help the issue of discrimination against gays one iota - so, in other words, a typical politically correct decision - no one is offended (except maybe people who believe in free speech), but the underlying issue is not addressed nor solved.
Time to grow up and get a thicker skin. You don't like the song - switch the station, turn off the radio, or don't buy the album (showing my age by saying that).
To that end, each year, there are numerous Gay Pride parades in Canada. I do not know the extent to which they are financed by public funds, but I do know that they certainly occur in public. I am not the biggest fan of what I think is, shall I say, the extreme flamboyance often exhibited in the parades - but I don't file a complaint - I just don't attend the parades nor watch the press coverage. Problem (of me being offended) solved as far as I am concerned.
- Canada, the world’s most easily offended country Full Comment National Post
- If a song is pruned, it can die - The Globe and Mail
- Censorship’s dire state Editorial Comment Ottawa Sun
- A word to the wise panel: Thanks for Nothing - Opinion - TheChronicleHerald.ca
- Dire Straits’ Guy Fletcher responds to Canadian song admonishment - National Post
Two last points, one of which is similar to the Huck Finn issue. The first - why stop with "Money for Nothing" - Matt Gurney: If we’re banning songs, let’s ban these too Full Comment National Post. The second - kudos to the radio stations, including local metro station Q104, for playing the unedited version of the song non-stop for an hour - and I'll bet that it did not result in any more or any less discrimination against gays.
2. Second Thoughts? Toronto Star writer apparently withdraws from anti-Israel hatefest | Full Comment | National Post
3. Waste of Time - Tehran: Jews Massacred Iranians on Purim - don't get me wrong, the points raised in the letter to UNESCO are excellent - but expecting that agency to do anything is a waste of time, in my opinion. Let me correct that - I should have said, "expecting that agency to do anything to aid Jews or Israel is a waste of time.
5. This Land Is Our Land.... - David Bernstein: Affirming Our Identity, Staking Our Claim – Forward.com
7. In Memoriam - an example of the tragic history of antisemitism - This Week in History: The Jews of Basel are burnt - just in case anyone thinks that the problems of the Jewish people started with the Nazis.
8. Speaking Of That Era - the war was over but the killing went on - Nazi Death Marches: Book Details German Citizens' Role in End of War Killings - SPIEGEL ONLINE
9. And If They Don't Get One? Pakistan: Islamic supremacists rally for blasphemy law, demand Pope's apology - Jihad Watch
10. What Gives? Commentary » Blog Archive » USAID, Spanish Government Supporting Anti-Israel Tourism Group? and How Arab Money Gets to the Israeli Left
11. Controversy - Anti-Islamist group draws fierce protests. I do not know enough about the English Defence League to judge them, but if the media description of it is correct, I would have certainly concerns about hitching my wagon to theirs. But at the same time (and to solidify the point I made in my last posting about selective outrage), I wonder how the usual groups can complain about this but never say a word about overt antisemitism when it occurs:
"The English Defence League is a far-right extremist organization," reads an open letter signed by two dozen activist groups, among them Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, Queers Against Israeli Apartheid and the Canadian Arab Federation."
In any event, the President and the CEO of The Canadian Jewish Congress published a joint op-ed in the Toronto Sun, that as you can see from the link, was critical of the event and in particular, of the liaison between the Jewish Defence League of Canada and the EDL. I know that in response, Meir Weinstein, the National Director of the Jewish Defence League of Canada issued an open letter to the CJC, but I cannot seem to find a link to it so that you can read it and make your own judgements.
12. The Dangers Of Texting - not just when you are driving....
100% with you on what to do if you don't care for a song, parade,expression etc....too bad that we are known as the nation with the thinnest skin.
ReplyDeleteRe your Waste of Time comment, even when I don't expect something to be done about blatant blood libel, I write letters of protest because sitting by silently is akin to tacit approval. Besides, writers who respond to requests for action by Media Watch, Honest Reporting and and Simon Wiesenthal do effectuate changes when they write enmasse. Sometimes mountains are actually moved.
ReplyDeleteI lived in Basel during the late 1960's and early 70's. This piece of history was not resurrected whn I kived there. The main focus was on Theodore Herzl's legacy. Know that the Jewish community there is tight, well connected, very hospitable and very accomodating to any newcomer and visitor. An enormous ornate shul in located the center of the city. What was curious was the law that forbade any kosher butcher shops; their claim was that animals suffer when kosher butchering is practiced. This wasn't a problem because Jews made multiple trips across the border to Alsace-Lorraine ( within easy walking distance) I wonder if that ban still exists today because there is such a large Muslim population. Hallal meat is executed pretty much the same way as kosher meat. What the author does not refer to in that article is that most Swiss are Lutherans. Martin Lutherm the founder, is purported to have written the blueprint for Hitler's Mein Kampf; it was his arguments that Hitler used to justify his description of Jews. Ironically Luther initially favoured the Jews, hoping to convert them, but when many wouldn't budge, Luther took it personally. It was his view that he acted kindly to them so he was owed but when the Jews held their ground firm , he retaliated with public burnings.
ReplyDeleteElie Weisel outlined in full detail, more than several decades ago what Der Speigel has finally come around to admitting about The Germans and their infamous cruel death marches. It is obvious that the Germans didn't want any witnesses so why was this even posed as a question? Anyone feeling any better now that there has been full disclosure?
ReplyDeleteYou should check out what the Toronto Sun has to say about these OCAP/FMTA idiots (the latter funded to the tune of $446,000 a year by the City of Toronto to hire top OCAP executives)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/sueann_levy/2011/02/01/17116201.html
http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/sueann_levy/2010/11/18/16209761.html
Of course these people are also tied in to Andrew Lehrer of Queers Against Israeli Apartheid, Independent Jewish Voices and www.ckln.fm fame.
See http://www.causepimps.ca/CKLN/top.html and
http://www.causepimps.ca/andy-lehrer/top.html