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12 February, 2012

Must not laugh at Spanish sportsmen

A skit on their use of performance-enhancing drugs

"The Spanish tennis federation said it plans to sue a French TV channel for using its logo in a video that poked fun at Rafael Nadal. In the video skit on the satirical program called The Puppets, a life-size cartoon figure of Nadal is shown urinating into a gas tank before racing off and being pulled over by police for speeding.

A message of “Spanish athletes. They don’t win by chance” flashes across the screen, surrounded by the logos of the tennis federation and cycling and soccer federations.

The video on Canal Plus France on Monday came hours after the Court of Arbitration for Sport issued a two-year ban against Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador for doping.

Source

Atheists Demand NC Town Remove Ten Commandments From Town Hall

Maybe they should start calling them the "Ten Suggestions". Even Christians tend to treat them that way anyhow.

"Atheists now have their sights set on Newland, North Carolina, where the secular Freedom From Religion Foundation has sent a letter demanding that the town remove a Ten Commandments plaque from a government office building.

In a letter sent to town manager Brenda Pittman, the group said that a local individual saw the display, was offended and would like it taken down.

The letter was brought to the attention of the Newland Town Council at Tuesday night’s meeting, and was distributed to the press. Town board members were incensed over the outside interference, and passed a motion to ask for the press to publish the letter, but took no other official action except to turn the matter—and the letter—over to the town attorney.

If the plaque is not removed, precedent would indicate that the FFRF will continue its battle against it. Generally speaking, these letters are only the first step in a slew of tactics used to ensure that religious items are removed, taken down or altered

Source

11 February, 2012

U.S. Marines use Nordic alphabet with Nazi associations



Runes are a family of old Northern European alphabets derived by some unknown route from early forms of the Latin alphabet. There is still some sentimental attachment to them in Northern Europe (particularly in Scandinavia) and the Nazis may in part have used them for that reason. They long predated the Nazis, however.

Like the original Latin alphabet, they were very simple shapes designed to be suitable for carving into stone and wood. The runic "S" has been compared to a lightning flash and that is probably why both the Nazis and the American troops above used it.

"A US Marine sniper team posed with a flag emblazoned with the symbol of the Nazi SS while on duty in Afghanistan, the Pentagon has admitted.

A photograph leaked onto the internet showed the heavily-armed troops crouching in front of the banner as it hung below the American flag.

The lightning symbol, once worn by the unit tasked with the extermination of Europe's Jews, sparked immediate outrage

A spokeswoman said the icon had been used by the troops to identify themselves as scout snipers, a designation unique to the Marine Corps, and was never intended to have Nazi connotations.

In a statement the Corps said: "Certainly, the use of the 'SS runes' is not acceptable and scout snipers have been addressed concerning this issue. 'SS runes' are prohibited from use as a symbol or any other use."

Source

Clarkson in trouble again

Because of his popularity, Clarkson is about the only man in Britain who can say what he thinks

"A disfigurement charity has called for Jeremy Clarkson and the BBC to apologise after the Top Gear presenter compared the shape of a new car to “people with growths on their faces”.

In an episode of the BBC motoring show broadcast last Sunday, Mr Clarkson likened a Japanese car with a large bulge on the back to a “really ugly” growth.

He suggested that people “wouldn’t talk to [the car] at a party” and did an impression of the elephant man, the disfigured Victorian character, after fellow presenter Richard Hammond dubbed the vehicle “the elephant car”.

James Partridge, the chief executive of charity Changing Faces, said that Mr Clarkson’s comments “create a culture of ridicule and bullying” against people who are ill, disabled or have unusual features.

The charity has written a letter of complaint to Ofcom, the broadcasting watchdog, and the BBC, which has received 55 complaints about the broadcast.

Source

10 February, 2012

Google India Removes Websites Deemed Offensive By the Gov’t

We read:

"With Google stating just last week that it would block content on its blog platform in certain countries while keeping it viewable in others others — Twitter also announced a similar protocol – Google India has reportedly removed web pages deemed offensive to Indian political and religious leaders.

This action is to comply with a court case that has raised censorship fears in the world’s largest democracy and follows weeks of intense government pressure for 22 Internet giants to remove photographs, videos or text considered “anti-religious“ or ”anti-social.”

Indian officials have been incensed by material insulting to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, ruling Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi and religious groups, including illustrations showing Singh and Gandhi in compromising positions and pigs running through Mecca, Islam’s holiest city.

“There is no question of any censorship,” Communications Minister Sachin Pilot said in Bangalore. “They all have to operate within the laws of the country. … There must be responsible behavior on both sides.”

Facebook India submitted a compliance report to the court Monday, but it also joined Yahoo and Microsoft in questioning its inclusion in the case, saying no specific complaints had been presented against them, PTI reported. The sites did not immediately comment after the hearing.

Prosecutors, who sued on behalf of a Muslim religious leader who accused companies of hosting pages that disparage Islam, said they would provide the companies with all relevant documents. The court gave the companies 15 more days to report back.

Source

Google did the same with China some years ago. Who will be next?



Brown racist calls an Indian a "coconut"

I guess most readers here know it already but a "coconut" is brown on the outside and white on the inside. It is a condemnation of adopting mainstream (white) values.

"A leading force in football's battle against racism has been criticised after he called an Asian supporter a 'coconut'.

Piara Powar, who is the executive director of the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) organisation, has been a vocal figure in the game's recent rows.

But an exchange on Twitter has left Mr Powar, who is also Asian, embroiled in a race controversy of his own making.

Liverpool fan Parmjit Singh, 34, tweeted @piarapower: 'Interesting how u haven't given your opinion on the news that a £mufc fan was arrested on Wednesday for alleged racial abuse.'

He received a staggering reply from Mr Powar, who used Twitter's private messaging function to contact Mr Singh, which said: 'Get lost Singh. Have no false consciousness. Don't be a coconut.'

Mr Singh was referring to Manchester United fan Howard Hobson, 57, who was today fined £200 for chanting racist abuse at a black Stoke City player during a match on January 31.

Mr Powar had earlier condemned Liverpool FC and the way it handled the Luis Suarez affair - where the striker was banned for eight games after being found guilty of racially abusing Patrice Evra during a match against Manchester United in October.

Source

9 February, 2012

GLAAD Wants CNN’s Roland Martin Fired Over Alleged Anti-Gay Super Bowl Tweets


Roland Martin

We read:

"CNN’s Roland Martin is under fire following some controversial tweets he sent during the Super Bowl on Sunday evening. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has called Martin out and is actively advocating for the network to fire him.

The incident commenced when Martin sent out a tweet, reading, “If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad smack the ish out of him!” After seeing this message, GLAAD, among other gay advocates, was less-than-pleased.

After realizing the fury that followed what he thought were harmless social media quips, Martin released a statement to media and the public. He defended his tweets and claimed that they had nothing at all to do with homosexuality:

"I made several cracks about soccer as I do all the time. I was not referring to sexuality directly or indirectly regarding the David Beckham ad, and I’m sorry folks took it otherwise."

GLAAD, though, isn’t buying the excuse. The organization is calling for CNN to fire Martin, proclaiming — very directly — that “CNN should fire Roland Martin.” A portion of their blog post on the matter highlights a number of other insensitive statements the group claims he’s made. It reads:

"Roland Martin has never compared being a soccer fan to being an alcoholic, the way he has compared being gay to being an alcoholic. Roland Martin has never bragged that his wife has led men and women away from the “soccer lifestyle,” the way he claims she has with gay people. Roland Martin has never defended jokes about parents stabbing soccer-playing children, the way he defended jokes about parents stabbing gay children."

Source

It's no secret what most blacks think of homosexuals so GLAAD have a point but an attempt to censor blacks might backfire on them. They could be called "racist"! (They probably are).

Update: He is now out.



It's taken time but even sportsmen are now being ground down into political correctness



We read:

"It was a complete no-brainer, but props to the Atlanta Braves for placing a new crossed tomahawk logo on the sleeve of their new weekend alternates. The cream-colored throwbacks — which the baseball world learned about a few weeks ago — are based on the uniforms that the team first wore after moving to Atlanta in the 1960s.

The jerseys of those less-enlightened times featured a savage on the sleeve and it's a wonder that anyone ever thought the image was OK. The logo strips Native Americans of any humanity and turns them into a one-dimensional character devoid of any sympathy or tribute.

Source

How long will it be before the team are told that the name "Braves" is incorrect? Will it be changed to "Alternatively motivated person"?

The old logo is not as bad as they say above. Acting in a frightening way was a common part of conflict between warring tribes. You may see New Zealand's Maori doing their "Haka" before a Rugby football game on TV some time. They look a lot the guy in the older patch above.



8 February, 2012

Conceited young far-Leftist insults the Queen



The Queen is much-loved in Britain so you would have to be full of yourself to say such things. But Leftists ARE generally full of themselves. He also appears to be of Maltese extraction so may not like Britain generally.

"An aide to a shadow minister was yesterday forced to apologise for a ‘shameful slur’ which likened the Queen to a benefit scrounger.

Matt Zarb-Cousin, who works for shadow justice minister Andy Slaughter, provoked outrage by suggesting the Queen had been ‘scrounging benefits off the taxpayer’ for 60 years.

As the Queen marked 60 years on the throne, Mr Zarb-Cousin wrote on Twitter: ‘Congratulations this morning to Queen Elizabeth II. 60 years of scrounging benefits off the taxpayer without being caught.’

But Mr Zarb-Cousin, who is also on the left-wing Fabian society’s youth committee, was later forced to apologise after he was given a dressing down by his bosses.

Labour sources said that the aide had been given a ‘carpeting’ after Mr Slaughter became aware of his controversial remarks.

Describing his behaviour as ‘totally unacceptable’, the Shadow Justice minister said: ‘The Queen has given great service to our country and these comments are totally unacceptable.

Source

He is of course entitled to express his opinion but he also must wear any condemnation of it. As it is he appears to have suffered little in the way of consequences, other than having killed off any future political aspirations he may have had. Even a return to Malta might not help him. Malta is a member of the British Commonwealth and the Queen is generally held in high esteem there.



Academic sparks outcry for comparing Britain's colonisation of New Zealand to Holocaust

We read:

"A leading academic has sparked outrage after comparing the Holocaust that killed six million Jews to Britain's colonisation of New Zealand. Language lecturer Keri Opai claimed that New Zealand's native indigenous Maori were suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder following the 'holocaust' of British rule.

But last night the President of the New Zealand Jewish Council slammed the Maori academic for 'trivialising state sponsored genocide'.

During the New Zealand Wars of 1845-1872, which saw the Maori defended their tribal lands from British colonial forces, 20,000 Maori were killed while hundreds of thousands more were driven from their homes.

The debate on national identity was part of a special broadcast on Waitangi Day - the holiday that marks the signing of the first treaty between representatives of the British Crown and M?ori chiefs in 1840.

The document has always been disputed because the English and M?ori versions of the treaty differed significantly. The British believed it gave it sovereignty over New Zealand and gave their appointed Governor the legal power to rule the country.

But M?ori believed they ceded to the Crown a right of governance in return for protection, without giving up their authority to manage their own affairs.

Source

What is usually glided over is that it was Maori killing Maori that was the major cause of death after the British arrival. The Maori were vastly impressed by guns and gladly traded land for guns -- which they then used to kill off neighboring Maori tribes. It was in fact only British influence that eventually brought peace.



7 February, 2012

Wrong to portray a woman in China as not speaking fluent English?

We read:

"The portrayal of a young Asian woman speaking broken English in a Super Bowl ad being run by U.S. Senate candidate Pete Hoekstra against Michigan incumbent Debbie Stabenow is bringing charges of racial insensitivity.

“Some Asian-Americans may be offended by the stereotype that is portrayed in the spot,” said Robert Kolt, who teaches advertising part-time at Michigan State University and had previewed a number of Sunday’s Super Bowl ads. “Pete seems like a nice guy in the ad, but I think he is wasting a lot of money now.

The 30-second ad was filmed in California and never mentions China directly. It opens with the sound of a gong and shows a young Asian woman riding a bike on a narrow path lined by rice paddies. Stopping her bike, the woman smiles into the camera and says:

“Thank you, Michigan Senator Debbie Spenditnow. Debbie spends so much American money. You borrow more and more from us. Your economy get very weak. Ours get very good. We take your jobs. Thank you, Debbie Spenditnow.”

The scene then shifts to Hoekstra telling viewers near a cozy fire, “I think this race is between Debbie Spenditnow and Pete Spenditnot.”

The Hoekstra campaign set up a website, www.DebbieSpendItNow.com , that features the ad and includes Chinese writing, paper lanterns, parade dragons and Stabenow’s face on a Chinese fan. It accuses the Democratic senator of “pouring American dollars into the Chinese economy.”

Source

School ban on Christian advertising overturned

We read:

"LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — In the wake of a federal court order that halted a Pulaski County Special School District flier policy, district officials have settled a lawsuit with Alliance Defense Fund attorneys representing a 3rd-grade student and her mother who had been denied permission to distribute fliers for church-sponsored activities.

“All students should have the freedom to express their beliefs. The Constitution clearly prohibits bans that single out a religious viewpoint,” said ADF Litigation Staff Counsel Matt Sharp. “This settlement means that fliers for ‘church-related’ activities will be treated with the same respect given to fliers for numerous other community programs and events.”

In October 2009, a Sherwood Elementary School 3rd-grade student and her mother requested permission to distribute fliers inviting friends and classmates to a church-sponsored swimming event the following month at a local pool. School officials, including Sherwood Elementary School’s principal, said that the fliers could not be distributed because they were “church-related.” However, the district freely permitted fliers promoting numerous other activities, such as ones sponsored by the 4-H Club, Boy & Girl Scouts, local youth sports teams, karate lessons, summer camps, book and consignment sales, and PTA fundraisers at local restaurants.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Western Division, issued a preliminary injunction that halted the policy in March of last year. The court wrote, “Indeed, the record clearly shows that defendants’ regulations, as presently enforced, merely stamp out certain viewpoint-based speech.”

To settle the suit, district officials eliminated its ban on “church-related” fliers, which may now be distributed by students during non-instructional time at school and which also may be included with all other community fliers at a table or distribution rack near each school’s front entrance. The district also agreed to pay for the student’s attorneys’ fees.

Source

6 February, 2012

‘Ex-Gay’ Flyer Stirs Controversy at Maryland High School

We read:

"A flyer sent home with some Maryland high school students sparked controversy this week because of its message to teenagers that no one is “born gay.”

The one-page flyer, from a group called “Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays,” was distributed to students at Albert Einstein High School in Montgomery County, Md. and claimed that each year, “thousands of people with unwanted same-sex attractions make the personal decision to leave a gay identity,”

According to WTTG, the letter was sent home in compliance with the school board’s policy on flyer distribution, which says that if a group can prove it is a nonprofit organization, it can distribute flyers to students four times a year.

Karen Yount-Merrell, a clinical social worker, told WTTG she was disturbed when one of the flyers came home with her son. “I don’t like it,” she told the station. “Everything in this flyer make its sound like the goal is to be [an] ex-gay, [or an ex]-lesbian. It is not embracing of a different orientation. It reiterates a societal view that there‘s something ’wrong‘ with you if you’re not in the norm. If you aren’t heterosexual.”

Source

Good to see that she knows what the societal view is.



Generalizations about English Northerners criticized

We read:

"A Tory MP has ignited a row after claiming northerners die earlier than those in the south because they smoke too much, drink too much - and 'jump into bed with each other at the drop of a hat'.

Public health minister Anne Milton - whose Guildford constituency lies in the Surrey stockbroker belt - argued that 'widespread changes in behaviour' such as stopping smoking and practising 'safe sex' would help lower death rates in the north of England.

Her comments came after the British Heart Foundation released new statistics revealing people living in the north-east are more likely to die of heart disease than their southern counterparts.

At a Commons debate last week about bad health in the region, former nurse Ms Milton said: 'The major part of poor health will be remedied only by widespread changes in behaviour.

Professor Stephen Singleton, medical director at NHS North of England, said that over the past decade the number of people dying from heart disease in the north-east has reduced faster than anywhere else in the country due to the reduction in the number of people smoking and better care for people who have heart attacks.

Labour's Chi Onwurah said Ms Milton's arrogant comments ignored the fact that poor health is often associated with poverty.

Source

What she said is broadly true but she would have been less open to criticism if she had prefaced her remarks with "In general" or some such. Many Northerners do behave wisely.

WHO she was also made her remarks offensive. England has all sorts of social divisions that are taken very seriously and one of them is the North/South divide, with the North being poorer and Southerners looking down on them. She is from "South of Watford". People from the Home Counties (around London) tend to see "North of Watford" as another country, populated by less civilized people. Watford is a railway junction at the Northern end of the Home Counties.

English migrants to Australia are mostly from outside the Home Counties. They like being in a place where they are not looked down upon. And people from the Home Counties tend not to migrate because nothing could replace London. New Yorkers tend to feel the same about NYC.

Update

Perhaps I should ramble on a little about the perceived attractions of NYC

JAPs (Jewish American Princesses) in particular are afraid to be out of NYC for more than a few hours in case they miss a social occasion where "Mr Right" turns up. He rarely does but hope springs eternal. And Irving can't leave because he has "prospects" and not being immediately there when a prospect seems to be about to be realized would be criminal.

Time wounds all heels however and the savage NYC climate with deep-frozen winters and stifling summers takes its toll. And when you get old the winters are very punishing. Winters do tend to kill old people. So rather than wait for Global Warming, lots of Yiddisher Mommas drag their man (if they still have one) off to the rat's mouth (Boca Raton in Florida), where they do their best to recreate New York society as they knew it

But what about Irving back in NYC? He needs lots of advice so the phones run hot. And they almost melt if he is dating a shicksa! ("Why are you doing this to me?")

We all know that "shicksa" is a derogatory term for a non-Jewish female but Jews tend to be coy about what it actually means. So I am going to let the cat out of the bag: It is a Yiddish/German word for "prostitute"

So you see that climate can be a lot of bother. Bring on global warming!



5 February, 2012

Conservatives must not compare far-Left demonstrators to Nazis

We read:

"Far-right Austrian politicians were widely criticized Monday for comparing protests against a fancy ball that attracts extremists to the Nazis' persecution of Jews.

Vienna's Jewish community demanded an investigation into the remarks but the Freedom Pary insisted no harm was meant.

The comments by Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache and an associate were first reported Sunday on the website of the daily Der Standard, but they drew little attention until Monday.

The furor extended the controversy over Friday's far-right ball, which attracts guests who include the neo-Nazi fringe and was held this year on the same day the world pays tribute to victims of the Holocaust.

Police recorded only isolated violent incidents Friday from demonstrators outside the Viennese palace where the ball was being held. But Strache was quoted as saying the violence was "like Kristallnacht," referring to the 1938 anti-Semitic riots across Germany and parts of Austria that left streets strewn with broken glass from the windows of Jewish-owned property and synagogues. Kristallnacht was an ominous sign of the Holocaust to follow.

"We are the new Jews," Strache declared to other ball guests, according to Austrian media.

Source

Must not mention differences between black and white dress

We read:

"French Elle magazine has apologised for an article posted on its website which suggested that a black American elite, inspired by the Obamas, was finally embracing ‘white’ fashion.

Fashion blogger Nathalie Dolivo claims in the piece that the Obamas are the catalyst for a ‘black fashion renaissance’ and suggests America’s first black president has given the black community a ‘chic’ option other than ‘streetwear codes’.

'In 2012, the 'black-geoisie' has integrated all the white codes ... but with a twist, bourgeois with an ethnic reference that recalls their roots,' she argued.

Elle editor Valerie Toranian published an online apology, saying the magazine was ‘deeply sorry’ to have caused offence.

Source

4 February, 2012

Occupy Supporter Demands ‘We Support Our Troops’ Sign Be Taken Down From MN Building

We read:

"An Occupy supporter in Little Falls, Minnesota, is demanding that a “We Support Our Troops” sign be removed from a building in her hometown. The woman, named Robin Hensel, is taking this combative action after city officials told her she needed to remove an excessive number of signs and posters that were once present in her frontyard.

According to officials, residents are only legally allowed to display one sign on their property — a city code that Hansel takes particular issue with. So, in response to the city’s code enforcement, she has set her sights on the pro-troop sign, which she says also violates local code.

Of the town’s “Support Our Troops” sign, she says that city code requires both a permit and approval from the city’s historic preservation committee. Hensel says that the banner has neither and, thus, it should be taken down. But her issue with the mural transcends the mere code violations.

City officials plan to take up Hansel’s complaints about the banner at the next city council meeting on Feb. 6.

Source

Google joins Twitter in censorship storm: Site may now block blog posts in line with requests from oppressive regimes

We read:

"Google's informal motto is 'don't be evil', but a huge change to its Blogger service could see the search giant help oppressive governments stamp out voices of protest.

Bloggers who have relied on the popular service to organise dissent as seen during the Arab Spring could find their posts being blocked by Google itself.

The company will now block posts or blogs from being seen in a country if they break their local laws, handing a victory to regimes that crack down on free speech to keep a lid on dissent.

The move has caused widespread concern - and echoes Twitter's recent decision to block Tweets on a similar 'per country' basis to comply with local laws.

Twitter was credited with the change of regime in Egypt last year, where the site was used to co-ordinate protests. Both Google and Twitter have now agreed to take down posts that violate local laws

'If more and more companies follow the lead of Google and Twitter, as seems quite likely, it could represent the beginning of the end of the truly global Internet,' says Techdirt

But Google claims that the move will actually allow more freedom of speech. The blogs will be visible from everywhere else in the world, but invisible in one country.

'This will allow us to continue promoting free expression while providing greater flexibility in complying with valid removal requests in local law,' said the company.

Blogger, a blogging service which launched in 1999, and was bought by Google in 2003, has previously been banned outright in repressive regimes such as Syria, Iran and China.

Neither Google nor Twitter are currently available in China due to the censorship demands of the government.

Google 'buried' its policy change in a page of technical information about Blogger changing to separate internet domains for each country. Previously, Blogger has been handled through one international domain.

Source

Not an easy decision. Google and Twitter are saying: "Better half a loaf than none at all". And keeping the content up in other countries will keep it available to savvy web users who can get around controls

A lot of people in China get around Chinese controls. All my blogs are viewable in China because I post mirror copies at addresses that China does not block.



3 February, 2012

Anti- “Mammy” Mom Could Face Time for Booing

We read:

"Last spring, a parent in the audience at a middle school recital was so moved by the children’s performances that she couldn’t help but to stand up...and boo.

Jackie Carter, a local stage director, attended an April 29 production of the Bowen McCauley Dance Company held at Kenmore Middle School in Arlington, Va., where her daughter attends school, and was outraged by one of the group's skits, “Little Rabbit, Where’s Your Mammy?”

Innocent sounding, sure. But picture this: At a middle school dance performance, children act out a skit featuring an antebellum African-American wet-nurse, or “mammy.” For a black theater buff like Carter, it was too much to take.

And depending on the verdict of her trial that begins April 23, she may face up to a year in jail for doing so.

According to the Afro, the presentation was promoted as a “tribute to American folk culture traditions.”

The school’s principal circulated a letter after the incident on May 2 of last year, stating that the term "mammy" is a “colloquial affectionate term used for mother or grandmother.”

Source

"Mammy" was a well-known Al Jolson song and Jolson was known for the support and help he gave to black entertainers



Must not condemn flag burners

Australia. The flag burners were Aborigines (blacks)

"A Labor [party] politician last night last night slammed her colleague for calling a group of children who burned the Australian flag "little pricks".

Marion Scrymgour hit back at Rob Knight after he made the remark during a radio interview on Monday. "His comments are not helpful at all, and I don't think Rob's little army should carry on this emotional debate," she said on Facebook. Ms Scrymgour was responding to a post from one of Mr Knight's supporters, congratulating him for his stance.

Mr Knight last night said he stood by his comments. "I absolutely condemn the burning of our flag," he said. "I don't believe any cause has ever been served well by burning any flag."

The minister was inundated with public support yesterday with scores of Territorians flooding the NT News website and social networking sites to back the politician over his controversial remarks.

SOURCE

2 February, 2012

British bus drivers must not call passengers 'babe'

We read:

"A bus company is a warning drivers to not call passengers 'babe' in a bid to avoid lawsuits from offended women. Brighton & Hove Buses posted warnings to drivers in its head offices after a complaint from a woman who said she felt insulted by being called 'babe' when she boarded a bus.

The company also warned drivers they could face the sack if they call passengers 'love' or 'darling'.

One employee, who did not want to be named, said: 'It's just the height of political correctness. The drivers know how to best speak to customers. 'People don't want their drivers to be robots. What is the world coming to when you can't have a bit of friendly banter with passengers?'

Managing director Roger French said: 'A lady complained to us that she thought the language used by a driver was demeaning to her.

Source

"Babe" is always complimentary as far as I know so the woman who was offended must have had "issues".

Outside the Home Counties in England it is quite common for people to address one-another with terms of endearment -- with "Love" being the most common of such terms -- as it is in Australia. It is rather like the Southern U.S. "Honey" or "Hon". My favourite is one area where women commonly address one another as "M'dook" (My duck)!



‘Blasphemous’ UK Film Featuring Jesus Being Seduced on the Cross Approved 23 Years After Being Banned

This sounds pretty sick but as long as people are warned well in advance about the nature of the film, I see no reason to ban it. If you don't like it, don't buy a ticket. If you do buy a ticket, it says something about you

A victory for freedom of expression? The only movie ever banned in Britain for blasphemy was finally approved for distribution Tuesday, 23 years after it was outlawed.

The experimental short film “Visions of Ecstasy” features scenes of Jesus being seduced on the cross and became a free-speech cause celebre after Britain’s film censors refused to give it a rating, a requirement for legal distribution.

The British Board of Film Classification ruled in 1989 that a fantasy scene in which the Spanish mystic St. Teresa of Avila sexually caresses Christ’s body could constitute blasphemous libel. The board judged that cutting out the potentially blasphemous material would shorten the 19-minute film by half, so they refused to approve it.

Blasphemy was abolished as an offense in 2008 and on Tuesday the film board gave Wingrove’s film an “18” rating, meaning it may be viewed by adults.

The board acknowledged the film would be “deeply offensive to some viewers,” but was unlikely to cause harm.

Source

1 February, 2012

Regulatory Czar wants to use copyright protection mechanisms to shut down "rumors and conspiracy theories"

But what if the rumors and theories are true? Cass Sunstein doesn't care, it would seem. Truth is not only no defence, it is not even to be tested in a court: The government just decides you are wrong and you get shut down.

This is a good time to remember the other activities that Obama’s “regulatory czar” Cass Sunstein wants to shut down using the tools of copyright protection. For a couple of years now, Sunstein has been advocating that the “notice and take down” model from copyright law should be used against rumors and conspiracy theories, “to achieve the optimal chilling effect.”

What kinds of conspiracy theories does Sunstein want to suppress by law? Here’s one: "… that the theory of global warming is a deliberate fraud." [From page 4 of Sunstein's 2008 "Conspiracy Theories" paper.]

At present, limits on speech are governed by libel law. For statements about public figures, libel requires not just that an accusation must be false, but that it must have been: "… made with ‘actual malice’—that is, with knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard to whether it was false or not". [New York Times v. Sullivan, 1964]

The purpose of the “actual malice” standard is to leave wide latitude for errant statements, which free public debate obviously requires. Sunstein thinks that room-for error stuff is given too much weight. He’d like it to see errant statements expunged. From Sunstein’s 2009 book On Rumors (page 78): "On the Internet in particular, people might have a right to ‘notice and take down.’ [T]hose who run websites would be obliged to take down falsehoods upon notice."

Further, “propagators” would face a “liability to establish what is actually true” (ibid).

Source

Australian public broadcaster under fire for vilifying Christians

We read:

"In the satirical interview, John Clarke poses as a mental health professional - apparently being questioned by Brian Dawe on the psychological damage caused by lengthy processing of asylum seekers.

But in a twist, it is revealed they are actually discussing how long politicians stay in office before they are finally voted out:

Dawe: A lot of them must realise the damage they are doing?

Clarke: Oh, they do. A lot of them are Christians.

Dawe: So there would be a lot of guilt?

Clarke: A lot of guilt. A lot of denial.

Dawe: Look what they are doing to the asylum seekers.

Source

Video at link

Australian law is very sweeping in its provisions about racial vilification. It says: "It is unlawful for a person to do an act, otherwise than in private, if: (a) the act is reasonably likely, in all the circumstances, to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate another person or a group of people; and (b) the act is done because of the race, colour or national or ethnic origin of the other person or of some or all of the people in the group"

But there is no similar prohibition against religious vilification that I know of. So this complaint is unlikely to go anywhere beyond the bureaucracy.

Even if the Act did apply to religion, it has extensive exemptions. Exempted in Section 18d, for instance, are comments made "in the course of any statement, publication, discussion or debate made or held for any genuine academic, artistic or scientific purpose or any other genuine purpose in the public interest".

One would have thought that the above exemption provided a complete defence for conservative columnist Andrew Bolt in the prosecution recently brought against him. That judge Mordechai Bromberg did not accept that defence and proceeded to convict Bolt is thus incomprehensible in terms of what the law says. It can, as far as I can see, be explained only as a political judgement, akin to many of the judgments handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court. Even some Leftists were disturbed by Bromberg's extremism.

Given the pervasive Leftism of diaspora Jews, however, I suppose judge Bromberg's judgment and the accompanying tortured reasoning were to be expected. Jews are heavily represented in the Australian judiciary so I suppose we have to be glad that not many politically-relevant cases come before them. Leftism and law don't seem to go well together.











Posts from Brisbane, Australia by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).


"HATE SPEECH" is free speech: The U.S. Supreme Court stated the general rule regarding protected speech in Texas v. Johnson (109 S.Ct. at 2544), when it held: "The government may not prohibit the verbal or nonverbal expression of an idea merely because society finds the idea offensive or disagreeable." Federal courts have consistently followed this. Said Virginia federal district judge Claude Hilton: "The First Amendment does not recognize exceptions for bigotry, racism, and religious intolerance or ideas or matters some may deem trivial, vulgar or profane."


Even some advocacy of violence is protected by the 1st Amendment. In Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969), the U.S. Supreme Court held unanimously that speech advocating violent illegal actions to bring about social change is protected by the First Amendment "except where such advocacy is directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action."


The traditional advice about derogatory speech: "Sticks and stones will break your bones but names will never hurt you". Apparently people today are not as emotionally robust as their ancestors were.


A phobia is an irrational fear, so the terms "Islamophobic" and "homophobic" embody a claim that the people so described are mentally ill. There is no evidence for either claim. Both terms are simply abuse masquerading as diagnoses and suggest that the person using them is engaged in propaganda rather than in any form of rational or objective discourse.


Leftists often pretend that any mention of race is "racist" -- unless they mention it, of course. But leaving such irrational propaganda aside, which statements really are racist? Can statements of fact about race be "racist"? Such statements are simply either true or false. The most sweeping possible definition of racism is that a racist statement is a statement that includes a negative value judgment of some race. Absent that, a statement is not racist, for all that Leftists might howl that it is. Facts cannot be racist so nor is the simple statement of them racist. Here is a statement that cannot therefore be racist by itself, though it could be false: "Blacks are on average much less intelligent than whites". If it is false and someone utters it, he could simply be mistaken or misinformed.


Whatever your definition of racism, however, a statement that simply mentions race is not thereby racist -- though one would think otherwise from American Presidential election campaigns. Is a statement that mentions dogs, "doggist" or a statement that mentions cats, "cattist"?


Was Abraham Lincoln a racist? "You and we are different races. We have between us a broader difference than exists between almost any other two races. Whether it is right or wrong I need not discuss, but this physical difference is a great disadvantage to us both, as I think your race suffer very greatly, many of them by living among us, while ours suffer from your presence. In a word, we suffer on each side. If this be admitted, it affords a reason at least why we should be separated. It is better for both, therefore, to be separated." -- Spoken at the White House to a group of black community leaders, August 14th, 1862


The spirit of liberty is "the spirit which is not too sure that it is right." and "Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it. While it lies there it needs no constitution, no law, no court to save it." -- Judge Learned Hand


Two lines below of a famous hymn that would be incomprehensible to Leftists today ("honor"? "right"? "freedom?" Freedom to agree with them is the only freedom they believe in)

First to fight for right and freedom,
And to keep our honor clean

It is of course the hymn of the USMC -- still today the relentless warriors that they always were.


It seems a pity that the wisdom of the ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus is now little known. Remember, wrote the Stoic thinker, "that foul words or blows in themselves are no outrage, but your judgment that they are so. So when any one makes you angry, know that it is your own thought that has angered you. Wherefore make it your endeavour not to let your impressions carry you away."


"Since therefore the knowledge and survey of vice is in this world so necessary to the constituting of human virtue, and the scanning of error to the confirmation of truth, how can we more safely, and with less danger, scout into the regions of sin and falsity than by reading all manner of tractates, and hearing all manner of reason?" -- English poet John Milton (1608-1674) in Areopagitica


Hate speech is verbal communication that induces anger due to the listener's inability to offer an intelligent response


Leftists can try to get you fired from your job over something that you said and that's not an attack on free speech. But if you just criticize something that they say, then that IS an attack on free speech


"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper


Why are Leftists always talking about hate? Because it fills their own hearts


Leftists don't have principles. How can they when "there is no such thing as right and wrong"? All they have is postures, pretend-principles that can be changed as easily as one changes one's shirt


When you have an argument with a Leftist, you are not really discussing the facts. You are threatening his self esteem. Which is why the normal Leftist response to challenge is mere abuse.


The naive scholar who searches for a consistent Leftist program will not find it. What there is consists only in the negation of the present.


The intellectual Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) could have been speaking of much that goes on today when he said: "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."