Thursday, May 29, 2008

Mark Steyn. Not Alone.

A well-known Canadian author is soon to be brought before the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal in downtown Vancouver. The writer is accused of being a hate-criminal. His right to express opinions is on trial. So too is your right to read and to speak and to openly express yourself. Freedom to speak, to write. There comes a trial. Gaggles of government employees in offices across this nation have decided that it's up to them to decide who can speak and what the the public can say. If one offends the bureaucrat, then there is the Star Chamber awaiting. Mark Steyn will make his appearance in Vancouver's on Monday morning because he wrote words. He will be on trial for writing. He will not be alone.

Hate speech. It's a crime. Free Speech? That's a crime too. If the government decides you are a hate-criminal....

Who is Mark Steyn? Surprisingly, many intellectuals in Canada have never heard of this best-selling and prolific author. He's not Michael Moore. He's not Noam Chomsky. He's a thinker and writer under state assault. He's a funny guy, a clever guy, a Canadian guy who writes books. One tiny group of ideologues in government don't like him-- automatically don't like him-- because he's not automatically a Noam Chomsky. So the government is going after him, attempting to destroy his abilities in Canada to speak and write. The bureaucrats in the Hate-Speech industry just don't like him. It really doesn't matter what he writes. They don't like him anyway, and that's enough to fire hate-speech charges at a man who is many things most Canadians would admire, if they knew of Steyn and had read his works. He's pretty much like you or me. He's not a radical; and the government workers in the Hate-Speech Suppression industry are upset about him. Who is Steyn? He's a funny guy who writes books. The wrong kind of books. You'd probably like him if you knew him.

There are Canadians of many sorts who meet weekly at the city's main library in Vancouver each Thursday evening to discuss issues related to government and politics and culture. We meet in the atrium from 7-9:00 p.m. for coffee and discussion and the sharing of ideas. It's something of a miracle we haven't been arrested for it. We speak freely. This evening we'll sit as we have for two and a half years now, and this evening we'll sit with Mark Steyn, if only in spirit. Mark is not alone. Tonight we are all Mark Steyn.

If you are Mark Steyn too, feel free to sit with us in the Covenant Zone. We're outside Blenz coffee bar in the lobby of the library. We're identifiable by our blue scarves and -- books!. We support free speech. We support Mark Steyn. He is not alone. You're not alone.

VPL 7-9:00, outside Blenz in the atrium. Covenant Zone. Tonight.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

sounds good, but, alas, I live hours from Vancouver, with no car.


sigh....

Dag said...

I'm happy to see you are interested and care enough to leave a comment. It's always fun and interesting to meet people who care about this kind of life we live, one of engagement in the society we live in and hope to make freer so we can live fuller lives in liberty with our fellows. It's just good to have friends one can be with in security and friendship, something too many take for granted, not knowing what dictatorship and real fear can be.

I do a bit of informal surveying in my daily rounds, a frustrating exercise, to say the least: I ask likely people, often those in bookshops, if they know of Mark Steyn. Of the literally 99 our of 100 who don't even know of them I have 99 people to talk to about freedom and personal liberty. It's a small thing, but perhaps in doing even that we can reach a few people who will find out more and become concerned enough to go a bit further on their own.

When you do get to town, look us up and we'll celebrate your coming!

Best regards, Dag.

Anonymous said...

Free Speech is in danger all over the Free World.

reliable sources said...

cgw is right.

Oprah said, "Free speech not only lives, it rocks" after she won her trial against the cattle industry which sued her for saying she would never eat another burger for fear of mad cow disease.

But free speech no longer rocks, according to the cattle rancher who was sued along with Oprah. On Coast to Coast radio recently, he said it would be difficult or impossible for him to defend himself against the beef industry today. That's because after the Oprah trial, legislation was passed in the U.S. which makes criticism that interferes with the beef industry a form of terrorism. He explained that even if what you say is true, it doesn't matter; if you're causing harm to the beef industry, you can be held responsible.

Dag said...

Art Bell? I thought you all would be on about Cherie, Cherie, she got a way to move me....

What a babe is that? Youza!