Trading Freedoms - Watch your back if you voice an opinion (Ask Mark Steyn)

Trading Freedoms - Watch your back if you voice an opinion, but feel free to do business

Here's a quote from Amnesty International's website: "Symbolize the silencing of dissent . . . by covering your mouth, with tape or a gag, in demonstrations or vigils." Well this isn't a demonstration or a vigil but we thought we would take their advice to illustrate the topic that our cover story examines.

The symbolism has been hijacked of late by attention-seeking peace protesters such as actor Martin Sheen, but we think it's quite appropriate for a topic of rising concern here in Canada. The public's freedom to express their opinion and disagree with others is falling victim to the heavy hand of human rights commissions across the country and those who use them to persecute opposing viewpoints. It is, after all, quite convenient to have a government bureaucracy investigate, charge and try anyone who hurts your feelings without charging you a dime. It's creating a situation where speaking your opinion in a public forum (or in the case of this magazine, simply reporting the news) can result in some hefty court costs--making silence seem like the better option. Click Here!

It almost seems absurd that a government institution originally designed to protect the rights of citizens is now being used as the Gestapo of free speech and freedom of the press. As Kevin Steel outlines in our cover story, many of these tribunal's decisions are being overturned in higher courts, yet they continue to attack private citizens at the whim of a complainant. Canada is not the type of place you would expect to have to fight for freedom of the press and the ability to exchange ideas without fear, but here we are symbolizing the silencing of Canadians. Somehow I doubt Amnesty International will take up the fight here, but hopefully average Canadians will realize the monster that has been created and the danger it poses to a fundamental basis of our democracy.

But censoring speech seems to be becoming more acceptable as another story in this issue shows. Jordan Michael Smith shows how Kieran King found out the hard way that talking about marijuana is taboo if you're in high school. I doubt high school has changed much since my three-year stint, and in my experience weed was certainly one of the least controversial topics of conversation floating around the cafeteria. But one Saskatchewan high school decided it was worth putting a student's education at risk to keep the issue quiet. No wonder people try to censor others later in life, when they have learned early on that talking about a controversial subject is not grounds for discussion or debate, but instead an opportunity to silence the opponents completely.

Fortunately, as we run the risk of producing a rather depressing magazine this time around, we have some good news for Canadians. It seems only yesterday that labour unions and opposition parties were railing against Brian Mulroney's Progressive Conservative government for having the audacity to initiate a free trade agreement with the United States and Mexico. Canadian jobs would be lost and the economy left in ruins, they said. Despite such dire predictions, the North American Free Trade Agreement went ahead as planned and has resulted in one of the most lucrative trade deals in the world.

Indeed, in 2006, $363.6 billion worth of goods found its way south of the border to the U.S. and Mexico--fully 83 per cent of Canada's total exports. Perhaps that is why, as today's Conservative government is working with countries like India to try and emulate NAFTA's success, the Opposition and unions are somewhat subdued on the subject. It's become a difficult concept to argue against, but despite the clear benefits, Canada has been quite stagnant in this area for the last 10 years.

But, as Terry O'Neill shows in this issue, Canada is back in the game and becoming a noticeable mover and shaker on the world's business stage. In a time when most expect a federal election to be right around the corner, instead of flipping burgers on the barbecue circuit, as is the traditional and rather campy strategy employed by most politicians to shore up support over the summer, International Trade Minister David Emerson and Prime Minister Stephen Harper made the rounds to potential trade partners; trying to add to the already impressive list of deals made in the last year. But with only 37 per cent of Canadians realizing that Canada wins with free trade, it's an interesting gamble.

You can’t kick a dog, or disagree with a homosexual but by all means kill your unborn baby. The classes with which one can not disagree without expecting the charge of bigot is shrinking. If you are a man of the old mold who isn’t ashamed of it and doesn’t nurse himself with guilt of the world or with the sore bitterness of oppression then you will find yourself in the one class of people who can always be a targeted.

The pervasive intimidation that makes even participating in a forum like this something where one should be cautious is spun from the same threads that make up the curtain that is being raised throughout the world. We see it when people are trashed beyond recognition for a mouthful of words spoke in a moment of frustration or what they thought was privacy. The media promotes the crazy puritanism of thought elevating even misunderstandings as if they are the distilled essence of a person’s character but in the same breath going out of their way to hide the truth of the words of men like John Kerry and Bill Clinton even when he speak exactly what he intend and there is no ambiguity in what they say or mean.

They run interference for Gay rights activists that march in the streets in the most disgusting attire and behaviors. Hiding them so the whole of society will not collectively throw up at the appearance of them while elevating even the smallest infractions or weakness of religious men and women for all the world to see.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.