Tonight Ann Coulter is supposed to speak at the University of Calgary. As of this morning's CBC news the venue has been changed to a more easily 'secured' arena. It'll undobtedly turn into a huge media event as satellite units from all over North America are racing to get setup in time.Ann Coulter's Canadian tour organizer Ezra Levant is already notorious in Canada as a rightwing nutjob. The philosophy and style of Coulter and Levant's speeches center on religious bigotry and racism and thereby fall far outside the lines of freedom of speech. Just imagine what would happen if their hate speech focused on the Jewish community instead of the Muslims. Imagine the reaction our neo-fascist PM Harper and his evangelical followers if Coulter-Levant were bashing The Rapture or Zionism.
The gates of the Canada's visa department swing wide to admit Ann Coulter. But when Dr. Mustafa Barghouti wants to visit, Foreign Affairs mouths some drivel about security and footsies his visa around until he has to cancel.
A hate-filled, void-headed troglodyte who says Muslims should travel by camel and not be allowed to fly? C'mon in, and a warm welcome to Canada. A dignified, well-spoken Nobel Peace Prize nominee who thinks the Palestinians deserve decent treatment? Forget it!
Coulter and Levant are self-styled "free speech" martyrs who cry foul anytime anyone challenges their perspective, but their commitment to free speech is best measured by how they defend it for those whose views they oppose. About Democrats, Coulter has said: "Let's repress them . . . I'm not a big fan of the First Amendment." And Levant backed the Conservatives' ban on U.K. MP George Galloway last year. This has further vindicated the anti-war movement's contention that unjust wars abroad will end up consuming the very liberties that make us who we are. - Common Dreams
2 comments:
I think they should BOTH be allowed to speak. We have the freedom to choose whether or not to listen, and then whether or not to agree with them. I am sure that both speakers would have some elements of truth to what they say. For example, suggesting that Muslims should travel by camel and not be allowed to fly is ridiculous. BUT there is no reason why we should not be allowed to have a profile of a terrorist so that ordinary law-abiding citizens can travel in comfort (how many 50 yr. old white grannies from Ontario have hijacked planes with nail scissors?). Coulter is RIGHT when she says that we know who the people who have committed terrorist acts in the air are. Why SHOULDN'T we put this info together to make up a profile? I HATE it when we make stupid rules for the masses because we haven't the courage to pinpoint the source of the problems, whether it is in regard to air travel, the education system or the immigration system.
Bev
I say we deserve free speech.
i agree both sides should be allowed to speak BUTT there is a difference between free speech and hate speech and i think both coulter and levant use the free speech arguement as a cover to disguise their bigotry.
i agree that we all use profiling to help us filter the info incoming from our senses, otherwise we'd be overloaded and airlines should too instead of releying on hi-tech lists that are only as good as the info input into them.
coulter-levine often stand up in their theater and yell fire to get attention and sell books. when she belittled the young muslim girl as a carpet rider-camel rider that's not free speech anymore than terms like nigger-slut-spick-etc, it's an attempt to make themselves appear bigger by trying to make others appear smaller.-muddy bob
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