Tongue Tied 3

2009-11-27T00:21:00.001+11:30

Italian prosecutors seek jail for Google executives over bullying video

We read:

"GOOGLE executives could be jailed over a video showing a teen with Down's Syndrome being bullied. Italian prosecutors have accused four current and former Google executives of defamation and failure to exercise control over personal data.

Google strongly denounced the case, calling it "a direct attack on a free, open internet."

The case, being heard in a Milan court, stems from a complaint by an Italian advocacy group for people with Down's Syndrome, Vivi Down, and the boy's father. The video shows four male high school students in the Italian city of Turin humiliating the youth. It was filmed from a mobile phone and posted on the site in September 2006, where it remained for two months.

The prosecutors said the need to safeguard fundamental rights took priority over business and that it was not an issue about freedom but responsibility of companies, the sources said. They are seeking jail sentences ranging from six months to a year. The maximum sentence for such charges - complicity in defamation and harm to private life - is three years in prison.

A Google spokesman said the company would defend and support its employees and that Google did what was required under European and Italian law. "This prosecution is akin to prosecuting mail service employees for hate speech letters sent in the post," Google's spokesman said. "Seeking to hold neutral platforms liable for content posted on them is a direct attack on a free, open internet and could spell the end of Web 2.0 in Italy," he said.

Source

Italy does have some oppressive internet laws

2009-11-27T00:20:00.001+11:30

Pathetic British Conservative Party leader

We read:

"Two years ago he derided politically-correct Christmas cards which do not mention the word Christmas as 'insulting tosh'. But last night David Cameron was facing a backlash from his own party after it emerged the Conservative official cards have the message 'Season's Greetings'.

The Christmas cards, which are available on the party's website, avoid all religious imagery - preferring generic winter scenes and pictures of robins to pictures of Jesus and the Three Kings. And the word Christmas does not appear on them at all.

Yesterday, Tory back-benchers were furious with indications that their party is becoming so politically correct. Philip Davies, MP for Shipley, said: 'If this decision has been made on a PC basis it would be totally unacceptable and I would be extremely saddened. 'This kind of pandering to extreme elements of the PC brigade is not something I would envisage from the Conservative Party. I have yet to meet anyone of any religion who is offended by people in this country celebrating Christmas.

Source

2009-11-26T00:18:00.000+11:30

Google resists censorship pressure sometimes

We read:

"GOOGLE is running advertisements to explain the appearance of racist and anti-Semitic material in search results, including a picture which depicts US First Lady Michelle Obama as a monkey.

"Sometimes Google search results from the internet can include disturbing content, even from innocuous queries," the US search giant said in an ad signed The Google Team. "We assure you that the views expressed by such sites are not in any way endorsed by Google," the company said.

The Google ad appears on a page of image search results for Michelle Obama which includes the offensive depiction of the wife of President Barack Obama.

"Search engines are a reflection of the content and information that is available on the internet," Google said. "The beliefs and preferences of those who work at Google, as well as the opinions of the general public, do not determine or impact our search results."

Google said it will remove pages from search results if they violate the company's guidelines but it "views the integrity of our search results as an extremely important priority". "Accordingly, we do not remove a page from our search results simply because its content is unpopular or because we receive complaints concerning it," Google said.

Source

I'm glad they stick to principle sometimes, even if they feel the need to apologize for it. Will they also apologize for including abuse of Christians in their searches?

2009-11-26T00:17:00.001+11:30

"Best Buy" wouldn't say "Merry Christmas", but have wished Muslims "Happy Eid Al-Adha"

We read:

"Best Buy stands by its decision to wish U.S. Muslims a Happy Eid Al-Adha, a rep for the company said, and though some Best Buy customers took offense, a Muslim advocacy group praised the move.

The retailer got some flak this week for including, along with its circular advertising Thanksgiving Day sales, a note saying "Happy Eid Al-Adha," which refers to a holiday of sacrifice for followers of Islam on Nov. 27 this year.

After TechCrunch ran an item about the circular, some claimed offense and said they'd take their business elsewhere. "I spent about $3,000 with . . . your store. I will be shopping somewhere else," one consumer wrote on Best Buy's Web forum. "BB has the Muslims covered with the 'Happy Eid,' but what about the rest of us Americans?" wrote another. "Do we get a 'Happy Thanksgiving'?"

Source

I guess they want only Muslim customers. Christians should take the hint and stay away. BB do seem to be worried about that. They now say they are going to recognize Christmas this year.

2009-11-25T00:25:00.001+11:30

When you are the Prime Minister of Russia you have a LOT of freedom of speech

We read:

"Vladimir Putin has undiplomatically poked fun at the Georgian leader, Mikheil Saakashvili, saying that it may not be safe to wear a tie around him. Asked at a news conference in Yalta about Saakashvili's visit to Kiev last week, the Russian leader, who is known for his sharp tongue, said that the Georgian leader and Ukraine's fiercely pro-Western president, Vikor Yuschenko, should meet wearing open-necked shirts.

"The two presidents would be better off holding a dinner - if they are to hold it - without ties. Ties are pricey these days....Well, you understand what I mean," he said, eliciting laughter from officials and journalists. "Yuschenko's guest will scarf up his tie."

Putin was alluding to widely circulated video footage of Saakashvili with the tip of his tie ino his mouth, chewing on it as he waited to be interviewed last year. In 2008, Russia and Georgia went to war over the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

Putin, who was in Yalta for talks with the Ukranian prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, said that Yuschenko and Saakashvili would have much to talk about. "The fighters reminisced about past days and battles that they have lost together," he mused.

Source

There is something I rather like about Putin. Being plainspoken may be part of it and he has certainly got a very skeptical eye. He is a very traditional Russian in many ways and frequently attends church. And unlike Obama, he never hesitates to stand up for his country. Russia has got a LOT to apologize for but it is Obama who does the apologizing, not Putin.

The picture above is of Putin and the Ukrainian prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko. Even at age 49, Yulia is quite a dish. Do an image search on her and you will see what I mean. She's rich too.

2009-11-25T00:24:00.001+11:30

GA: Lawmakers to review “so help me God” police oath

We read:

"City council members in Marietta, Ga., will consider changing the oath of office that the city’s police officers take so that recruits can swear to uphold the law without saying the phrase ’so help me God.’ But a police spokeswoman says that to her knowledge, nobody has ever objected to saying those words, and the city’s mayor promises he’ll veto any change to the oath that removes them.

Det. Gwen Lewis, a police spokeswoman, said no complaints have been received recently regarding the five-sentence oath the Marietta Police Department last adopted in August 2001. To her knowledge, she said, no would-be officer has ever objected to saying ’so help me God’ as part of the oath.” (11/23/09)

Source

2009-11-24T00:14:00.001+11:30

Nubian fury at 'monkey' lyric of Arab pop star Haifa Wehbe

Once again we hear that Arabs don't think much of blacks:

"One of the Arab world's biggest pop stars has provoked a torrent of outrage after releasing a song which refers to black Egyptians as monkeys.

Haifa Wehbe, an award-winning Lebanese diva who has been voted one of the world's most beautiful people, is now facing a lawsuit from Egyptian Nubians claiming the song has fuelled discrimination against them and made some Nubian children too afraid to attend school.

The row has cast fresh light on the position within Egyptian society of Nubians, who are descended from one of Africa's most ancient black civilisations and yet often face marginalisation in modern Egypt.

The latest accusations of racism came after the release of her new song, Where is Daddy?, in which a child sings to Wehbe, "Where is my teddy bear and the Nubian monkey?".

Wehbe has since apologised profusely for the offending lyrics, insisting they were penned by an Egyptian songwriter who told her that "Nubian monkey" was an innocent term for a popular children's game. That hasn't stopped a group of Nubian lawyers submitting an official complaint to Egypt's public prosecutor and calling for the song to be banned.

Source

2009-11-24T00:13:00.000+11:30

9th Circus does something useful

We read:

"The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled Friday that a federal district court should have considered whether a Gilbert, Ariz., sign ordinance unconstitutionally discriminates against religious signs among all non-commercial signs. The court sent the case, filed by attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund who represent Good News Community Church, back to district court for a decision.

“Churches shouldn’t be discriminated against by a city’s sign ordinances,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman, who argued the case before the 9th Circuit on April 15. “The government cannot require churches to abide by stricter rules than it places on other non-commercial signs. The Constitution prohibits government officials from singling out religious groups for that kind of discrimination.”

In its opinion in Reed v. Town of Gilbert, the 9th Circuit wrote that “Gilbert has adopted a sign ordinance that makes one’s head spin to figure out the bounds of its restrictions and exemptions.”

Source

2009-11-23T00:15:00.001+11:30

Another British foot-shooter

We read:

"Ben Elton has been forced to apologise for his royal rant on Good News Week which enraged Brits this week. The comedian and writer's opinions on the monarchy, British sporting prowess and more have disgusted the British and led to several newspapers - including the Daily Mail, The Telegraph and The Sun - running outraged stories about his comments on the comedy show.

Displaying his vitriolic wit and sarcasm on the comedy show, Elton made a series of comments regarding the UK, calling the Queen "a sad little old lady", Prince Philip a "mad old bigot", joking about sex with Margaret Thatcher and saying Prince Charles was just a "disillusioned ex-hippy".

He said London had scored the 2012 Olympics in order to give Britons some chance at sporting success and because the rest of the world felt sorry for the British when it came to athletic prowess, and launched a royal rant against the Queen calling her "a sad little old lady who lives in state sponsored accommodation". On sex with Thatcher he said: "She sort of annoyed me because she would always want to smoke afterwards and I hated that because that was so dirty".

Source

He obviously does not want most Brits to watch his shows or buy his books -- because many won't after this.

2009-11-23T00:12:00.000+11:30

Post a vulgar comment while you’re at work, lose your job

We read:

"A single vulgar word cost a man his job on Friday. It all started with Friday’s edition of Talk of the Day, a regular blog on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s website, STLtoday.com. Talk of the Day is exactly that. A conversation around the water-cooler topic of the day. Friday’s edition is often a little lighter. Last week, it was about the strangest things you’ve ever eaten, loosely pegged on a story about deer meat.

By mid-morning, a number of folks had commented about their experiences with Bird’s Nest Soup, octopus, cow brains and rattlesnake. Then, while I was in our 10 a.m. news meeting, someone posted in reply a single word, a vulgar expression for a part of a woman’s anatomy. It was there only a minute before a colleague deleted it.

A few minutes later, the same guy posted the same single-word comment again. I deleted it, but noticed in the WordPress e-mail alert that his comment had come from an IP address at a local school. So I called the school. They were happy to have me forward the e-mail, though I wasn’t sure what they’d be able to do with the meager information it included.

About six hours later, I heard from the school’s headmaster. The school’s IT director took a shine to the challenge. Long story short: Using the time-frame of the comments, our website location and the IP addresses in the WordPress e-mail, he tracked it back to a specific computer. The headmaster confronted the employee, who resigned on the spot.

Source

2009-11-22T00:17:00.003+11:30

Must not express a preference for Anglo names

Even in the British Conservative party

"A former Tory Parliamentary candidate was suspended by the party last night after complaining that people bidding to become an MP did not have ‘normal’ English names. Councillor Peter Hobbins is accused of sending racist emails to colleagues attacking the list of prospective Parliamentary candidates for the Orpington seat in Kent.

Mr Hobbins, who stood unsuccessfully for the Tories at the 2001 election and was shortlisted for the London mayoral race, suggested he should change his name to ‘Petrado’ to succeed in the party. One email said: ‘I have been contacted by a Mr Dilon Gumraj and a Zerha Zaidi and others who are all on the approved Conservative Parliamentary Candidates list. ‘Not one of them has a ‘normal’ English name.

‘Why are the Candidates Department so keen on these foreign names?!!!! Maybe I should change my name to something foreign – how does Petrado Indiano Hobbinso sound to you?!’

Mr Hobbins also said he was fed up with reading about ‘Africa’ on the CVs of would-be candidates.

A Tory spokesman said: ‘Councillor Hobbins has been immediately suspended from the Conservative Party and from the Conservative Group on Bromley council and he will play no part in the selection of the Parliamentary candidate. There is no room for racism in the Conservative Party.’

Source

The man was actually making a serious point. It is arguably true that Anglo voters are more likely to vote for candidates with Anglo names. Any political party in England that puts up a candidate with an obviously foreign name may well be doing a bit of foot-shooting.

2009-11-22T00:17:00.002+11:30

Even Hispanics and Filipinos aren't supposed to use the word "negro"?

We read:

"A civil rights group has chided Dionisia Pacquiao, mother of famed Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao, for using the word "Negro" in a public statement. The Color People Advancement Community (CPAC), a small Las Vegas-based ethnic rights group, was reacting to statements made by Mrs. Pacquiao after her son's match against Puerto Rican boxer Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand Arena on November 14.

Pacquiao, along with his entourage, had proceeded to the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino a few blocks away for a post-fight party and mini-concert. There, Mrs. Pacquiao gave interviews and described her alarm at watching her son fight it out with Cotto for 12 rounds.

Mrs. Pacquiao also thanked all her son's supporters. "Nagpapasalamat ako hindi lang sa mga Pilipino. At pati na rin sa mga Amerikano at mga Negro. (I thank not only the Filipinos, I also thank Americans and Negroes)," she said.

According to reports from the Bandera tabloid and boxing website Philboxing.com, the CPAC in Las Vegas issued a statement asking Mrs. Pacquiao to refrain from using politically incorrect words in public "so as not to inflame emotional outrage" from groups in the United States.

Source

"Negro" was once the proper scientific term for the race concerned but these days the more ponderous geographical term "Sub-Saharan African" is used in scientific writing. That's a bit stupid, though, as there are about 4 million "Sub-Saharan Africans" who are white, mostly in South Africa.

2009-11-22T00:16:00.000+11:30

Tribe battles to keep logo for the Fighting Sioux

We read:

"The most prominent defenders of the University of North Dakota's right to call its teams the Fighting Sioux are neither alumni nor hockey fans. They're Sioux.

A group of Spirit Lake Sioux won a temporary restraining order last week to stop the North Dakota University System from retiring the nickname and logo, one of the last in the country associated with an American Indian tribe. A hearing for a preliminary injunction is slated for Dec. 9 in Ramsey County District Court in Devils Lake, N.D.

Most such university team names have been abandoned in the face of criticism that they were offensive or derogatory, but that view isn't the only one in Indian country. Some tribal members take pride in their association with the Fighting Sioux and worry that eliminating the moniker "will cause isolation and a diminishing of public interest, knowledge and respect for Sioux history," according to the complaint. "There are more members of the Sioux tribe that support this than oppose it," said Frank Blackcloud, a Spirit Lake Sioux and member of the tribe's Committee for Understanding and Respect, which brought the complaint.

The committee's decision to weigh in on the Fighting Sioux nickname is the latest - and most ironic - twist in a decades-old debate over the university's nickname and logo. While Spirit Lake Sioux members are fighting to save the name, they're meeting resistance from largely nonnative groups like the faculty Senate, the College Anti-Racism Team and even the state Board of Higher Education.

Source

This is one indication that the assault on Indian team names comes primarily from Leftists rather than Indians.

2009-11-21T00:39:00.001+11:30

TN: ACLU attacks Christian practices in schools

"Prohibiting the free exercise" of religion?

"A lawsuit has been filed against the Cheatham County School Board alleging that school officials have promoted their own religious beliefs and allowed and encouraged public prayers at school events.

Civil rights attorney George Barrett and the Tennessee chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union filed the suit in federal court today on behalf of four students, listed under aliases. Two were students who graduated last year from Sycamore High School, one is a current student at Sycamore High School and another attends Cheatham Middle School.

The suit seeks an injunction against the schools to prevent them from continuing the activities mentioned in the suit, and nominal damages for the two students who have graduated.”

Among the allegations are that a planned prayer took place at graduation; that the Gideons International were allowed to speak to classes and distribute Bibles; that a cross hangs in a classroom; and that a history teacher taught that the United States is a “Christian nation” and decried the separation of church and state....

Attorney Allen Woods of Woods & Woods, which represents the school board, said they hadn’t yet examined all the allegations contained in the lawsuit but that there is no policy of religious behavior being tolerated or persecuted.

“We believe that all of Cheatham County’s policies are in accordance with the recommendations of the Tennessee School Board Association, and the court will find it legal and valid,” said. “The schools in question and all Cheatham County schools neither endorse any specific religion nor interfere with the religion of its students. That’s what the Constitution requires.”

Source

2009-11-21T00:38:00.001+11:30

Terms "Mental Retardation" and "Mentally Disabled" now wrong

We read:

"U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski today introduced Rosa’s Law, a bill that will eliminate the terms “mental retardation” and “mentally retarded” from the federal law books. U.S. Senator Michael B. Enzi (R-Wyo.), Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, is the Republican sponsor of the bill.

Under Rosa’s Law, those terms would be replaced with “intellectual disability” and “individual with an intellectual disability” in federal education, health and labor law. The bill does not expand or diminish services, rights or educational opportunities. It simply makes the federal law language consistent with that used by the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization and the President of the United States, through his Committee on Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities.

Rosa’s Law replicates a law recently adopted in Maryland. Senator Mikulski first heard about the state law from Rosa’s mother during a roundtable discussion about special education held in Edgewater, Maryland. Due to requirements in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), each student who receives special education services at public schools has an individualized education program (IEP) that describes the student’s disability and the special education and services that child will receive. Rosa has an intellectual disability – Downs Syndrome – and so was designated as a student with “mental retardation” in her IEP, giving way to people at the school referring to Rosa as retarded. Senator Mikulski promised Rosa’s mother that if the bill became law in Maryland, she would take it to the floor of the United States Senate.

Source

Leftists have a long history of belief in verbal magic. They believe that by changing the name for a thing you somehow alter the underlying reality and people's attitude towards it.

2009-11-20T00:12:00.001+11:30

SCOTUS: Redskins can keep team name

We read:

"A group of native Americans have lost their bid to force the Washington Redskins pro football team to change its name because they consider it to be a racial slur. On Monday, the US Supreme Court, in a one-line ruling, refused to take up the case.

The action lets stand a decision by a federal appeals court in Washington that the native Americans had waited too long to bring their challenge to the Redskins trademark, and thus forfeited any right to sue.”

Source

2009-11-20T00:11:00.002+11:30

Democrat wants to silence Christians

We read:

"Still lamenting the overwhelming defeat that she and her pro-abortion cohorts suffered in the House when the Stupak-Pitts amendment was attached to the health care bill, Rep. DeGette is now calling for religiously-affiliated groups to be shut out of the public policy process as the bill goes to the Senate.

“Last I heard, we had separation of church and state in this country,” she said. “I’ve got to say that I think the Catholic bishops and all of the other groups shouldn’t have input.”

In other words if a group of people who are in association with one another because of their Christian faith, they should not have a collective voice in the crafting of public policy. What she is asserting is that if your ideas and actions are a product of your faith, you’re a second class citizen and your voice should not be heard.

This is a far cry from what the Founders believed. Several months after the British surrender at Yorktown, George Washington, in a letter to the Reformed German Congregation of New York, wrote, “The establishment of civil and religious liberty was the motive which induced me to the field (of combat).” Sadly, Diana DeGette seems eager to smother these precious freedoms, neither of which can exist without the other.

Source

2009-11-20T00:11:00.001+11:30

Climate censorship

EPA Employees Silenced for Criticizing Cap and Trade

"Laurie Williams and husband Alan Zabel worked as lawyers for the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, in its San Francisco office for more than 20 years, and they know more about climate change than most politicians. But when the couple released a video on the Internet expressing their concerns over the Obama administration’s plans to use cap-and-trade legislation to fight climate change, they were told to keep it to themselves.

Williams and Zabel oppose cap and trade -- a controversial government allowance program in which companies are issued emissions limits, or caps, which they can then trade -- as a means to fight climate change. On their own time, Williams and Zabel made a video expressing these opinions.

"Cap-and-trade with offsets provides a false sense of progress and puts money in the pockets of investors," Zabel said in the video. "We think that these restrictions might not be constitutional," he said.

Their bosses in San Francisco approved the effort by Williams and Zabel to release the tape, but after an editorial they wrote appeared in the Washington Post, EPA Director Lisa Jackson ordered the pair to remove the video or face disciplinary action. Specifically, the administration's chief environmental official did not want Williams or Zabel mentioning their four decades with the EPA -- time spent studying cap and trade. "The people who understand the problems with the cap and trade with offsets bill are not being heard," Williams told Fox News.

Critics argue the action contradicts the president's support for open government. "It's censorship," Jeff Ruch, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, told Fox News. "If the Obama administration believes in transparency it is precisely in these cases they need to prove it."

Source

2009-11-19T00:15:00.001+11:30

Court turns down student over religious speech

What part of "prohibiting the free exercise" of religion do the judges not understand?

"The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a student who complained that high school officials violated her constitutional rights when they turned off her microphone during her religion-tinged graduation speech.

The justices said Monday they will not revive a lawsuit filed by Brittany McComb of Henderson, Nev. challenging the actions of Clark County school officials. A federal appeals court ruled previously ruled against her.

During McComb's speech at the Foothill High School graduation in 2006, officials turned off McComb's microphone when the school valedictorian strayed from an approved text to provide a graphic account of Jesus' crucifixion and credit God for her success in school.

Source

2009-11-19T00:14:00.000+11:30

Moans in Australia about 'Hatebook'

We read:

"Social networking site Facebook has come under pressure to better regulate its content as racist and offensive groups continue to proliferate on the site.

Facebook has a ban on "content that is hateful [and] threatening" and a spokeswoman for the site told brisbanetimes.com.au that there was no place for racism “or any form of hate speech” on Facebook. “We will remove anything of this nature that is reported to us,” she said. “Facebook is highly self-regulating, and users can and do report content that they find questionable or offensive.”

But despite Facebook’s self-regulation, many offensive groups remain on the network. Some vilify Indigenous Australians and Muslims, others suggest glassing people is acceptable, and some deny the Holocaust. One anti-Islamic group alone has over 6000 members and many groups remain on Facebook long enough for opposition groups to be created in response.

Race Discrimination Commissioner Graeme Innes told brisbanetimes.com.au that cyber-racism was an issue that needed to be addressed. “I don’t think we’re a racist country, but Australia does have pockets of racism, and all of us need to challenge these pockets,” he said.

Representatives from Islamic and Jewish peak representative organisations have also called for tighter regulation of online content....

But Electronic Frontiers Australia spokesman Geordie Guy said groups should have the right to express their views, no matter how abhorrent or controversial they might be. “The ability to say what you want is a critical and important part of democracy and freedom,” he said. Mr Guy said that the open discussion of illegal activities, like abortion and euthanasia was “critical for a healthy democracy”. “The way that we change things is by talking about them. If we’re not allowed to talk about illegal things, how are we going to change anything?" he said.

Previous decisions by the Federal Court of Australia have required Australian sources to remove Holocaust-denying material from the internet.

Source

2009-11-18T00:18:00.000+11:30

British Labour Party candidate who described the Queen as 'vermin' and a 'parasite who milks the country' is forced to apologise

We read:

"A Labour candidate has been forced to apologise after describing the Queen as 'vermin' and a 'parasite'. Peter White, who is standing in next year's local elections, posted the republican diatribe on the social networking site Facebook.

Last night Mr White was forced to issue a humiliating apology by Labour high command, and was threatened with deselection as election candidate.

The comments met with a furious reaction from other visitors to the web page, and Mr White later deleted his comments. But they had already been saved by Mr Rosindell.

Mr Rosindell said: 'People are absolutely furious that someone in such a position would publicly describe the Queen as vermin and a parasite. It is outrageous: a disgusting thing to say about the head of state. 'If he is republican, he has the right to state his case. But the use such foul and nasty language against the Queen is simply offensive. Even most republicans respect the fact that she has been an excellent head of state.'

Source

He has every right to say what he thinks but this was just plain dumb. The Queen is very highly regarded in Britain. He is just handing the election to his political opponents with comments like that. All British political parties support the Monarchy, even the Scottish Nationalists.

2009-11-18T00:15:00.000+11:30

Threatening words or protected speech?

We read:

"When Walter Carl Abbott Jr. posted comments last year on a Maryland government Web site saying he would "strangle" Gov. Martin O'Malley, he learned there's a difference.

The 45-year-old Pikesville construction worker was found guilty of threatening a public official. He is serving two years' probation for his rant against the governor, whom Mr. Abbott blames for personal financial problems that stem from business competition from illegal immigrants.

Mr. Abbott's attorney, Arthur M. Frank, said the comment wasn't a threat but a constitutionally protected criticism of state government. But he said he never got to make that argument at trial, so he took the case to a higher court.

After a hearing earlier this month before the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, Mr. Abbott is awaiting a ruling on whether a Baltimore County judge should have instructed a 12-member jury to consider whether he was exercising his First Amendment rights.

Mr. Abbott maintains his innocence. He says he just has strong opinions.

Source

2009-11-17T00:11:00.001+11:30

Must be allowed to speak Spanish?

Which amendment is that, I wonder?

"Members of several civil rights groups are protesting in front of a Taos hotel where Hispanic employees have clashed with the new owner. Whitten Inn owner Larry Whitten forbade employees to speak Spanish and ordered some to Anglicize their Hispanic names when he started making changes at the hotel in July. Taos officials and organizers say the number of protesters on Saturday ranged from 60 to 75.”

Source

It seems to me that a private employer is entitled to run his business in any legal way he wants. If people don't like his conditions of employment, they don't have to work for him.

2009-11-17T00:10:00.001+11:30

German secrecy busted by Wikipedia

We read:

"Two German men who murdered an actor in 1990 are suing Wikipedia, claiming its description of their crimes impinges on their privacy. The case pits the United States's first amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech, against German privacy and criminal laws, which dictate that after a certain period a crime is spent and cannot be referred to. Britain has similar rules on the reporting of lesser crimes.

The two men were sentenced to life in 1993. They were released in 2007 and 2008. But their lawyer, Alexander Stopp, said German courts allowed a criminal's name to be withheld in news reports once a set period had expired. "They should be able … lead a life without being publicly stigmatised" for their crime, he told The New York Times. "A criminal has a right to privacy, too, and a right to be left alone." [Why? A Leftist opinion, I think]

The German editors of Wikipedia have removed the killers' names from the German-language version about the victim, Walter Sedlmayr. But Mr Stopp has also filed a suit in Germany demanding that the Wikimedia Foundation remove their names from the English-language article.

This has triggered intense online debate. Jennifer Granick, a lawyer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an online civil liberties group, said US law "takes it as an article of faith that people must be allowed to publish truthful information about historical events". "A foreign power should not be able to censor publications in the United States, regardless of whether doing so suits the country's domestic law."

The English-language Wikipedia article about Mr Sedlmayr notes that details of the killers' names are available from online sources in Germany.

Floyd Abrams, a prominent first amendment lawyer, said every judge on the US Supreme Court would agree that the Wikipedia article "is easily, comfortably protected by the first amendment". But Germany had come up with a different balance between the right to privacy and the public's right to know, Mr Abrams said, and "once you're in the business of suppressing speech, the quest for more speech to suppress is endless".

Source

2009-11-16T00:09:00.003+11:30

Preacher Provokes Students at Humboldt State University (CA)

Students not used to hearing what the Bible says (Leviticus 20:13; Romans chapter 1):

"In a frenzy of buttons, handmade signs, and typed fliers, students hastily distributed material less than two hours after the arrival of Matt Bourgault and his controversial message.

The Quad, normally a place for music and bake sales, became the epicenter for Bourgault and his words this past Monday and Tuesday. Ashton Powers came to tears after repeatedly hearing that she must repent or risk eternal damnation. “You are here using God as an excuse to hate,” Powers, a freshman music major, told the preacher.

Bourgault, better known as Brother Matt, held a large sign that read, “God Abhors Homosexuality. Repent or Perish Sodomites” on the front, and “God is angry with the wicked everyday,” on the back.

Bourgault, A full-time, self-proclaimed “campus avenger,” has spent the last 10 years spreading his message from one college campus to the next. He tells students to accept his lord, or be lost eternally to Hell. “I’m trying to pull others out and bring them to the cross of Christ,” he told The Lumberjack. “Leave sin and live a life under God.”

Nearly 50 students quickly rallied against Bourgault as he preached from a rock, his King James Bible in hand on Monday. For hours, Bourgault read various scriptures from his Bible as proof of his beliefs.

Source

There were lots of moves to shut him up but he has won court cases in the past when that was tried so the police and other authorities weren't game to stop him. He seems to be a free speech warrior as much as anything else -- educating college administrations about their free speech obligations.

Most people have feelings of instinctive revulsion towards homosexuality so such people may well be glad to hear that the Bible supports that view