Do you know the feeling you get when you hear somebody who is working from a completely different data set than you, yet who reaches the same conclusion as you have?
That is the feeling I got listening to the following interview. It is long, but well worth listening to.
Listen and come to your own conclusions about what she says…
Remember, what some people describe as a ‘conspiracy theory’ is simply ‘effective marketing’ to others.
H/T: Dvorak Uncensored
For years, on and off, I have brrm ranting about the need to create an internet-type thing which would be outside the grasp and control of the powers that be – be they governments or large corporate interests (though, the lines between them have been so blurred lately, it is impossible to tell where one ends and the other begins).
And, no, I am not a complete conspiracy nut.
I have just ben paying attention – with all the ‘bailouts’, so many governments now have a physical stake in various corporations, it would be foolish to deny that the separation between our law-makers and the largest corporate ‘players’ has been eroding quite a lot. To put it mildly…
That is never a good thing!
It is an especially bad thing when it comes to communications: that is why I keep going on about the importance of free speech. And, I also keep going on about the dual dangers to free speech: government censorship AND corporate censorship.
Because BOTH of these are extremely dangerous to freedom of speech – and to the ability of regular, non-privileged citizens like you and I, to communicate with each other, to exchange information, to compare thoughts….
Without the ability to find out what is truly happening in the world around us – and without being able to discuss it amongst ourselves – we will be divided and powerless.
Isolated.
Easy to control…
This is well understood by those who would like to be rulers, everywhere.
That is why governments try to control media.
In the West, where people believe they have freedom of speech and where we would protest direct censorship of the media, more devious tools, like ‘political corectness’, are used to filter, distort and, yes, censor information that reaches the populace. It is ‘censorsip by sneak’. so to speak.
It is also understood by the corporatists: hence the repression of all the freedoms we hold near and dear in, say, large areas around the spot where The Olympic Games are held, and so on. (I have long held that the fascism inherrent in corporatism – the collusion between government-corporations-labour unions necessary to make this system function – is an incarnation of evil much worse than most others, because it pretends that it looks after ‘everyone’ and, if some person does not like it, there must be something wrong with them. It thus oppresses both the body and the soul…)
But, I am rambling…..
Time has come for us, the ‘unwashed masses’, us, the rabble, to start taking things into our own hands.
Taking to the streets with pitchforks – except, I suspect we will be uch more effective if we can figure out an electronic equivalent to a pitchfork and take to the electronic equivalents of the streets and village squares.
First, of course, we have to build these electronic equivalents.
There are some who have started.
Please, read the following two links – they say it better than I could and are well documented and chock full of links with good info.
Both of these have come about because of what has happened in Egypt – and what could easily happen here. (And, do not kid yourself – the groundwork has been laid for it….)
H/T: Tyr
This is a must-read article from Hudson New York by Soeren Kern.
It is impossible to paste a just little excerpt here that would be representative of the whole article, because the article itself is a long, sad and, frankly, frightening list of all the anti-free-speech trials that have been taking place in Europe lately. I recommend just popping over and reading the list – no fluff there, just the facts.
‘Freedom of Religion’ is a wonderful thing – but, to be perfectly honest, I do not see how everything one needs FOR practicing one’s religion freely and unhindered – but without infringing on the rights of others – is not already covered by some of the other ‘core freedoms’:
It seems to me that there is nothing contained within ‘freedom of religion’ which is not already an integral part of the other ones – so, it is, in a way, a redundancy to list ‘religion’ among the core freedoms as a separate item.
Not that we should not have ‘freedom of religion – rather, that it is already implied in the others and re-stating it can not in any way be beneficial. Rather, whenever things are redundantly re-stated, people will tend to read into them things which were never intended.
As in, it leads to abuse.
As it has, with claims of ‘religious discrimination’ by people who are merely offended by the very existence of any criticism of their religion.
Not being able to criticize something – whatever that something may be – is dangerous.
Deadly, in fact.
Because it infringes on the CORE freedoms – especially the ones I listed above: freedom of thought, freedom of speech, freedom of association and equality before the law.
Let’s just look at that last one: equality before the law.
Because it is unlikely that all people will, all of a sudden, share the same beliefs and opinions.
If everyone is equal before the law, then they are all permitted to believe what they wish and speak it freely, whatever the other people may think of it.
However, if we interpret ‘freedom of religion’ to mean that saying things that are critical or disparaging of that religion – not the practitioners, mind you, but the religion itself – then we have created ‘blasphemy laws’ which put one set of beliefs above another’s criticism.
And that is NOT equality under law.
I know, I am repeating some very, very basic things. But, lately, it seems to me like more and more of us are forgetting the basics…
Like, what ‘equality before the law’ actually means.
Unless we remember, it will be our undoing.
UPDATE: rumour has it that James Moore, Canada’s Heritage Minister, may attend the re-sheduled event!
After Iranium, the movie about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, was cancelled – along with the lecture by Clare Lopez (which, some critics say, was the real target of the actions/protests that led to the event’s original cancellation) have both been rescheduled.
Time: 7 p.m.
Date: 6th of February, 2011
Place: National Archives of Canada Library, Ottawa
More details – along with publishing the letter by Fred Litwin of the Freethinking Film Society – is at VoiceOfCanada.ca.
If I can, I will be there – no promises, except that I will try: I am curious to hear what Clare Lopez has to say…..and my hubby wants to buy the DVD so he can watch it in the comfort of our home.
Either way, it promises to be informative!
The Freethinking Film Society – a very, very good organization which shows movies and films we all ought to be aware of – was planning to show a movie tonight.
A simple movie.
At the National Archives of Canada – a place where obscure but wothwhile movies have been shown for, as far as my memory holds, for almost half a century.
Until tonight!!!
The Freethinking Film Society was planning to show a movie about Iran.
Until an hour ago, it was still ‘ON’!!!
Now, without warning, it appears to be ‘Off’!!!
Censored.
By some mysterious effect the Iranian government has over what we, free-thinking Canadians, are permitted to see!!!
What the HELL is going ON???
UPDATES:
Vlad Tepes has details and photos!
(I’ll insert links and add updates as I learn more!)
Fred Litvin of the Free Thinking Film Society will be interviewed this morning, to tell us exactly what happened, between 9 and 10 am this (Wednesday) morning on CFRA – listen on the web!
Caller to CFRA asks: is there an Iranian agent running the National Archives of Canada?
This is the question just raised by a caller to CFRA, while talking about the cancellation of “Iranium”.
According to the caller, whenever the Iranian embassy has a big do, it is at the National Archives. Like, movies, their new year’s celebration last March, etc.
And, this is the SECOND time Archives found a pretext to cancel the showing of a movie the Iranian government did not like…..
Another caller is guessing that the target of the cancellation was Claire Lopez – that she was, so to speak, ‘Ann-Coultered’!
You can call the National Archives people to tell them what you think:
613-996-5115
866-578-7777
Finally, a bit of encouraging news from England.
In an unrelated observation, something has me uneasy – to the point of being worried… The growing tide of ‘Slavic awareness’ has an ugly underbelly.
For centuries, the Slavs were hunted by the ‘Mediterraneans’ – especially the Venetians – and sold into slavery in Africa and the Middle East. The very word ‘slave’ comes from the name of the race, Slav. (And, yes – WAY more Slavs were sold into slavery into ‘Muslim Africa/Middle East’ than Africans were ever sold into slavery in Europe and the Americas combined: this is a matter of historical records!)
Needless to say, there has, for centuries, been a bit of a chip on the Slavic shoulder abut the whole oppression thing…and the continuing lack of acknowledgment of the Slavic role in history.
Add to this the lack of ‘multi-culturalism’ brainwashing in what used to be termed ‘Eastern Europe’/’Warsaw Pact countries’ – and the accompanying lack of self-shame in Slavs maintaining their cultural awareness….
Add to this the increasing pressures of the declining economic situation in the EU – and, most Slavic nations are members of the EU. When economies decline, unrest increases. If such an unrest has a nationalistic/racial ‘awareness’, there is a serious danger this bit will define it…
Add to this the increasing Islamist arrogance: both attacks on ‘native European women’ who don’t submit to the standards of Sharia and thus ‘invite’ rapes (rape jihad), the expections of financial support of Muslim communities by some Muslims, simply because they are Muslim, and increasing demands for accommodations of Islamist -motivated behaviours/customs….
Well, let’s just say I don’t like the ’emerging picture’ – not the way I see it evolving.
Not at all…
Just got this info from the ‘One Law for All’ folks:
HOLD THESE DATES
‘Enemies not Allies’ Seminar, 26 January 2011, 18.30 – 20.00 (Registration begins at 18.00), Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL (Holborn Tube)
Bigots and neo-Nazis feigning to campaign for rights… ‘anti-racist’ groups promoting fascism… ‘anti-war’ rallies run by supporters of terrorism and dictatorship… Enough!The One Law for All campaign is holding a seminar to expose how important debates including on Sharia law have been hijacked by the far-Right to promote their racist agenda, and by anti-racist and anti-war groups to defend Islamism, both at the expense of people’s rights and lives. The seminar will focus on: The British National Party, the English Defence League, Stop Islamisation of Europe (also Stop Islamization of America), the Stop the War Coalition, the Respect Party, and Unite Against Fascism.Speakers at the seminar are Adam Barnett (One Law for All), Rahila Gupta (Women’s Rights Campaigner), Marieme Helie Lucas (Secularism is a Women’s Issue), Ghaffar Hussain (Quilliam Foundation), Douglas Murray (Centre for Social Cohesion), Maryam Namazie (One Law for All), and Shiraz Maher (International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation), with John Adams (Emeritus Professor at the University of Hertfordshire) to chair.Entry fee: £5 individuals; £10 voluntary and statutory organisations. For booking form and speaker bios visit http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/26-january-2010-seminar-london/.International Conference on Women’s Rights, Sharia Law and Secularism, 12 March 2011, 10.00-19.00 hours, University of London Union, The Venue, Malet Street, London WC1E (Russell Square)
The one day conference to mark International Women’s Day will discuss the adverse impact of religious laws on the status of women.Speakers include: Mina Ahadi (International Committee against Stoning), Karima Bennoune (Law Professor), Helle Merete Brix (Journalist), Nadia Geerts (Writer), Hammeda Hossain (South Asians for Human Rights), Monica Lanfranco (Journalist), Anne-marie Lizin (Honorary Speaker of Belgian Senate), Maryam Namazie (One Law for All and Iran Solidarity), Taslima Nasreen (Writer), Yasmin Rehman (Women’s Rights Activist), Nina Sankari (European Feminist Initiative Poland), Sohaila Sharifi (Equal Rights Now), Bahram Soroush (Civil Rights Activist), Daniel Salvatore Schiffer (Philosopher), Annie Sugier (la ligue du Droit International des Femmes), Anne Marie Waters (One Law for All), Linda Weil-Curiel (Lawyer), and Stasa Zajovic (Belgrade Women in Black).Entry fee: £10 individuals; £3 unwaged and students. For booking form and speaker bios visit http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/12-march-2010-international-conference-on-women%e2%80%99s-rights-sharia-law-and-secularism-london/. The event is sponsored by the International Committee against Stoning, Iran Solidarity, Equal Rights Now and One Law for All.Event against Stoning, 9 July 2011, 14.00-17.30 hours, University of London Union, The Venue, Malet Street, London WC1E (Russell Square)
The Event against Stoning marks International Day against Stoning and will include a film screening of The Stoning of Soraya M followed by a panel discussion including with film director Cyrus Nowrasteh and campaigners Mina Ahadi and Maryam Namazie. The event will be dedicated to Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani.Entry fee: £10 individuals; £3 unwaged and students. For more information visit: http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/9-july-2011-event-against-stoning-london/. The event is sponsored by the International Committee against Stoning, Iran Solidarity, Equal Rights Now and One Law for All.Save your place now
To register for the above events, send a completed booking form along with a cheque made payable to One Law for All to BM Box 2387, London WC1N 3XX, UK or pay via Paypal at: http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/donate/. Donations are also welcome.For more information, contact:Maryam NamazieSpokespersonOne Law for AllBM Box 2387London WC1N 3XX
In case you don’t know what Pat Condell means when he says that our fear of Islamists in NOT irrational, please, listen to the following video:
If only the guy in the second video were the only lunatic who advocates violence in the name of Islam, if only he were not the only one advocating to replace secular law and order with Sharia, then, perhaps, fearing his message could potentially be called a phobia.
Unfortunately, he is not!
And there are Muslims who fear lunatics like this – with good reason. Religious extremists always attack the moderates within their own movement first, to better cow the rest and assure their own control over their co-religionists.
And, since the Islamists think that the only consequences of their actions will be rewards in heaven, they are not easy to dismiss.
So, exactly how many ‘hate-crimes’ against Muslims are occurring in the US, to require CAIR to fight this wave of Islamophobia?
Well, in the State of New York, in 2008 there were 8. In 2009, there were 11.
Which makes for about 1.6 % of the incidents.
Now, don’t get me wrong – there is no excuse for violent crime, whatever its motivation may be.
But those 11 incidents of attacks on Muslims for their Muslimness seems fewer than the number of attacks by Muslims on others for their non-Muslimness…
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H/T: Gates of Vienna
Xanthippa's Chamberpot 