As if we needed another reason to disband – utterly discredit, send the bureaucrats/delegates home and burn the buildings down, then dance on the ashes – the UN…
I never re-publish another blog’s post in its entirety and will not start now, but Nerfherder has a post which is short, sweet and informative about this issue. It describes what UN’s agency called the ITU (International Telecommunications Union) plans are for restricting access to the internet and gaining huge control over its content. Plus, it is chock full of links!
‘ A pair of researchers from George Mason University created a website called WCITLeaks.org in the hopes that someone with access to the secretive proposals would leak them and make them available to the public. Last Friday, that’s exactly what happened. Someone leaked the 212-page planning document being used by governments to prepare for the December conference. You can read it yourself here.’
We really need to start raising awareness about this.
Information is the best weapon in the preservation of freedom.
Montreal: 19th of June, 2012, 7 pm, Chabad of the Town, 4054 rue Jean-Talon Ouest
Toronto: 20th of June, 2012, 7:30 pm, 15 Hove Street * Toronto
For more information on the Montreal and Toronto events, please contact chershon@bnaibrith.ca
About the movie:
‘Irish filmmaker Nicky Larkin went to Israel to make the standard “Israel is Evil” documentary, but had a change of heart once he started filming. Here’s your chance to meet Nicky in person, see his documentary and hear why he changed his mind about Israel.
“Israel is a refuge — but a refuge under siege, a refuge where rockets rain death from the skies. And as I made the effort to empathise, to look at the world through their eyes. I began a new intellectual journey. One that would not be welcome back home.
The problem began when I resolved to come back with a film that showed both sides of the coin. Actually there are many more than two. Which is why my film is called Forty Shades of Grey. But only one side was wanted back in Dublin. My peers expected me to come back with an attack on Israel. No grey areas were acceptable.’
‘Here’s a film maker who has chosen to walk a lonely path in Ireland’s artist community, due to his awakening to the truth behind the Arabs’ conflict with Israel, which speaks greatly of his courage and moral compass. He’s been confronted with a reality that runs counter to the one carefully prepared for him by his peers and society at large.
Nicky Larkin not only challenges himself, but his countrymen as well, by sharing this completely different Irish perspective on the conflict. It’s a perspective rarely discussed in Ireland, let alone mulled over, which speaks greatly of the vice-grip hold anti-Israel forces have on that society. Larkin’s efforts offer a ray of hope that rational and reasonable debate on the conflict is indeed possible in Ireland, lets hope that his colleagues take up the challenge.’
There will be a Q&A with the filmmaker following the screening: it promises to be a very interesting evening!
Last year, I reported on the courtroom proceedings in the defamation lawsuit John Baglow (aka Dr. Dawg) had brought against Connie and Mark Fournier: part 1 and part 2.
The judge in that hearing dismissed it in a summary judgment for the Fourniers. (In his ruling, it seemed clear to me that the judge did not think Mr. Baglow had handled things well…)
‘Questions about what constitutes defamation in the caustic world of blogging have not been addressed by Canadian courts “in any significant way,” Blair noted. It means, he said, that a full-blown trial is needed to explore key questions…
‘
In other words, the case may indeed be vexatious, but the judges want to make new laws to govern the internet – and plan to do it on the Fourniers’ dime!
Ayayayayay!
When I know the details of when/where the case will be heard by the court, I’ll update this post.
UPDATE: While there is still no word of the court date/time, I have received a comment on this from Connie Fournier:
‘This case will be going to a full-blown trial now and there will be expert witnesses and a full examination of the role of defamation law in the blogosphere. This is of critical importance to any Canadian who operates a website where visitors are allowed to post comments. If the law stands as it is, anyone who operates such a site should have $50,000 in the bank so that they can defend themselves when Spockluver sues CaptKirkFan for defaming his online persona.’
The bad new is – predictably – coming from legislators. This time, in the UK.
They are introducing a bill which would force all internet service providers (ISPs) to monitor, log and store all electronic communication. But more than just that: they would also collect data about the physical electronic equipment used in the communication, who is communicating with whom and a long list of other intrusive measures. And, yes – physical communication would be similarly monitored, copying addresses from envelopes and packages and keeping the info for the government’s reference…
“Unless you are a criminal, then you’ve nothing to worry about from this new law.”
Ooooooh, that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy…
OK, so the governments all over the world are using the fact that we are all distracted by the looming economic crisis (created by their corruption) to impose ever more intrusive surveillance on us.
And we should not worry, unless we are criminals!
Until, that is, the government decides that holding the views we hold makes us criminals…
Well, before we all get too depressed, let me get to the good news – predictably, from the world of science and technology.
While quantum cryptography has not quite delivered the desired level of security through encrypted communication that many of us had hoped it would, it seems that emerging technology based on the good old second law of thermodynamics just might give us a glimmer of hope!
‘Once again the secrecy is guaranteed by the laws of physics but instead of quantum mechanics, Kish and co say the second law of thermodynamics provides the necessary underwriting. That’s the same law that prohibits perpetual motion machines powered by heat from the environment.’
The goal of achieving securely encrypted communication is always to make sure the two parties communicating can decrypt the signal but anyone intercepting the message would lack the tools to decode it. This newly announced method sounds great and secure.
Let’s hope it becomes generally used by ‘everyone’ before surveillance laws leave us frightened and silenced!
For those of you who are unaware of what ‘Section 13’ is: it is the ‘hate speech’ clause in Canada’s Human Rights Act which makes it illegal to say things which have the potential to offend somebody.
‘Section 13’ had been used to stifle free speech to the point where people were handed lifetime bans to even speak to friends about certain topics on which they did not hold ‘politically correct’ views.
‘Section 13’ – and how it was used to silence legitimate criticism – is a big reason why I had started this blog in the first place.
Now, the largest step towards ridding ourselves of this selective gag order has been taken:
‘Canada is freer today than it was yesterday.
The federal government has just voted to repeal Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. While the bill still has to pass a Senate vote, Canadians likely now have permission to speak more freely.’
Of course, some of the ‘obesity epidemic’ in North America is directly attributable to government intervention in our individual lives……
Just recently, my father-in-law mentioned to me that he read a study of the most prescribed drugs in different regions of North America and that he found it curious that in almost all large urban areas, Synthroid (an artificial thyroid hormone) topped the list. He was wondering why this was…
Did you know that fluoride (in the form of fluorine) is prescribed as medication to people who have overactive thyroids?
Indeed, fluoride lowers the function of our thyroid gland.
People with a healthy thyroid who are given fluoride tend to develop hypothyroidism: a condition which is marked by fatigue, depression and lowered metabolic rate which leads to – you got it – difficult-to-control weight gain!
Most urban centres in North America put fluoride into their municipal water supply.
Most commercially sold bottled water contains fluoride.
To recap:
Governments put prescription medication in our water supply ‘for our own good’. Once it’s made us sick, they’ll use this as an excuse to strip us of more of our rights…
This is more than UN’s Agenda 21 which seeks to gain control over parts of nation states through bypassing their legitimate governments (and which Alabama had just banned within its borders), it is an attempt to re-shape the internet to the liking of Russia, China, Saudi Arabia and Iran!
‘ISOC’s Sally Wentworth, senior manager of public policy for the group, warned that the proposals to be considered are not “compatible” with the current open manner in which the Internet is managed.
Vint Cerf, Google’s chief Internet evangelist, co-creator of the TCP/IP protocol, and former chairman of ICANN, said the ITU meeting could lead to “top-down control dictated by governments” that could impact free expression, security, and other important issues..
“The open Internet has never been at a higher risk than it is now,” Cerf said.’
In my never-humble-opinion, it is time to dissolve that toxic tumour upon our society also known as the United Nations!
Canadians have been raising a loud national call for every MP to stand against costly and invasive online spying. Thanks to the pro-Internet community, the video at http://openmedia.ca/stand went viral and got national news coverage from CBC,1 among others.
The response so far has exceeded our expectations: Over sixty MPs have signed up as Pro-Privacy politicians through our online tool. We have a real opportunity right now to tip the scales in favour of our online rights.
We need to act quickly. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, far from backing down, is pushing for a renewed multi-faceted scheme to erode Canadians’ online privacy rights: Toews has also quietly been working on a deal with the U.S. known as “Perimeter Security”, which could lead to the U.S. government having access to your private data.2
We have momentum now, with over sixty MPs—nearly two-thirds of opposition MPs—on our side. Let’s seize this crucial moment and turn up the heat on the government.
One Law for All has been spending a lot of time recently working with Caroline Cox and her team in promoting the Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equalities) Bill. The aim of the Bill, which was introduced to the House of Lords last year, is to make arbitration services in the UK subject to equality laws and to bar any arbitration where parties are of unequal standing; for example, it would disallow arbitration providers placing greater weight on the testimony of one party over another, as is the case with sharia law where a wife’s word is worth only half of her husband’s. The Bill will also create a criminal offence and make it illegal for arbitration bodies to pretend they have greater jurisdiction than they do – in other words, preventing them from misinforming people that they must obey their rulings. It will also place a duty on public bodies in the UK to inform women of their rights under British la w.
The Bill is due for a second reading in the House of Lords this October. Many Peers have already pledged support but we need your help in persuading them further. If you have time, please write to any members of the House of Lords and ask them to consider the seriousness of this Bill and its need in maintaining a society where all people are equal before a single secular and democratic law. In your letter, you could point out to Peers that the Islamic Sharia Council and the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal both openly acknowledge that the testimony of women is given less value than that of men, that custody of children is awarded to fathers regardless of the circumstances, and that sharia family law permits, and therefore encourages, domestic violence and the abuse of women and children. You can find out how to write to Peers here: http://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-a-lord/lord/. You can read the bill here: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2012-13/arbitrationandmediationservicesequality.html.
‘Equal and Free?’, a book of evidence compiled in support of the Bill, can be found here: http://equalandfree.org/download-file/downloads/EqualandFree.pdf. It includes testimony from women who have been through the sharia family law system here in Britain, as well as charities and groups which work closely with these women. It also looks at other religious tribunals, such as the Beth Din, and the effect the Bill may have on arbitration more broadly.
Debates and Conferences
One of the issues of concern to those deciding whether to support the Bill is that it may represent an infringement on religious liberty. One Law for All maintains that the right to freedom of religion ends at the point where other people’s rights begin. Sharia family and criminal law represent a serious infringement upon the rights of women to receive a fair hearing and to live without violence or the threat of violence. We will be holding a debate on this issue in the coming months and will invite members of both Houses of Parliament to attend – further details will follow. For more information on other speaking engagements and events, visit: http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/category/events/.
Child Protection
As has been mentioned, sharia family law awards custody of children to fathers from a pre-set age regardless of the circumstances, and regardless of whether the father is abusive or violent. Again, the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal and the Islamic Sharia Council do not deny this fact. It is also known that matters of child custody and contact are being increasingly heard by sharia bodies, increasing the isolation of Muslims in Britain and endangering the children of Muslim parents who may be excluded from the protections provided by British law – which places the wellbeing of the child as the paramount consideration in all questions of this kind. We have been pushing this message very strongly at the House of Lords; all Peers have now received a copy of ‘Equal and Free?’ which contains details of how sharia family law is flouting legal norms in matters of child protection, and the danger this represents &ndas h; it is creating a parallel legal system, based on religion, in the UK.
Support us!
December will mark four years since the establishment of the One Law for All campaign. A lot has changed in the public debate on Sharia law and equality as a result of our campaign. If you want to and can, please help us to continue our essential work. To donate to the work of One Law for All, you can either send a cheque made payable to One Law for All to BM Box 2387, London WC1N 3XX, UK or pay via Paypal. We also need regular support and for supporters to commit to giving at least £5-10 a month via direct debit. You can find out more about how to donate or join the 100 Club here: http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/donate/.
1. The One Law for All Campaign was launched on 10 December 2008, International Human Rights Day, to call on the UK Government to recognise that Sharia and religious courts are arbitrary and discriminatory against women and children in particular and that citizenship and human rights are non-negotiable.
When I was in high school, we started every morning by the playing of ‘Oh Canada’, our national anthem.
Being a recent immigrant, I found this daily exercise of overt of tribalism to be weird in the extreme and did not, at first, understand why it would come about at all…
Over time, I began to understand the impulse that drove the playing of the national anthem 1st thing every morning: it ‘clicked’ for me a bit after we got a new principal.
Our old principal would ask us to ‘stand for ‘Oh Canada’ and a few moments of silent prayer or meditation’. When our new principal took over, the ritual was retained in exactly the same form, except that the ‘or meditation’ was dropped.
Now, I was being told to stand for the national anthem and prayer!!!
Of course, I complained: not about the anthem, but about the dropping of ‘or meditation’. I complained to several teachers; each one of them told me that it’s OK for me not to pray, because since it is a ‘silent prayer’, nobody will know that I am not praying. I tried to be calm as I explained that that was hardly the point – and that behaving immoraly because I can get away with it is not a good lesson for them to be teaching me anyway. The point was that by removing the ‘or meditation’ bit, they were denying the very existence of non-theists and that that was rather insulting and probably illegal.
It was then that it ‘clicked’ for me why it was that the morning was started with the national anthem: the theists who ran the system could not imagine starting their day without a ritualistic appeal to authority. Since they could not openly pray out loud in the secular school, they replaced the ritualistic appeal to a divine authority by an equally ritualistic appeal to the secular authority…
In other words, the playing of ‘Oh Canada’ was not really an expression of patriotism but rather a substitute for ritualistic prayer…
‘The Freedom From Religion Foundation and one of its South Carolina members filed a lawsuit today in U.S. District Court in Columbia, S.C., against School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties over a district policy that sanctions graduation prayer. Plaintiff Matthew Nielson graduated with his Irmo High School classmates today.
Nielson, 18, and state-church watchdog FFRF allege the district’s written policy violates the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The plaintiffs, represented by South Carolina counsel Aaron Kozloski, ask the court to declare the district’s policy null and void. ‘
Despite the decades, religionists are still imposing their fetishes onto kids!
Xanthippa's Chamberpot 