Those of you who have been clamoring for more information about the current net neutrality fight (who am I kidding… a total of 4 people read that post ) will be happy to know that I’m not the only one talking about it. Our old friends at Google, after discussing the issue with Verizon, have …
Tag Archive: human rights
Aug 20 2010
Movie Friday: Anotherآجر in the دیوار
I don’t often talk about my musical side (I actually had to create a new “music” tag for this post). I’ve been playing since I was a little kid, and I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t banging pots and pans, or singing, or doing something else musical. Music is, quite literally, an integral …
Aug 19 2010
US government stands up for free speech
Those of you who follow alt-med quackery and science-based-medicine skepticism will be familiar with the absolutely ridiculous jurisprudence that is England’s libel laws. In the US , it is up to the plaintiff in a libel suit to prove that the allegations made against them are false (i.e., if I accuse you of practicing quack …
Aug 18 2010
Singapore struggles with free speech
“Oh here’s Crommunist, harping on free speech again!” Yes. Here I am. Harping on free speech. Again. Despite the fact that it perhaps isn’t as sexy as racist beatings or mockeries of religion, I reassert my commitment to highlighting issues of free speech. I don’t talk about it because it brings a whole shit-ton of …
Aug 11 2010
Net Neutrality – definitely a free speech issue
The following clip was brought to my attention: I don’t know much about Al Franken, except that people whose opinions I respect think he’s a good guy. Based on this speech here, he seems like someone I should be paying more attention to. Imagine for a moment what the world would be like if the …
Jul 28 2010
Online anonymity – a free speech issue?
Can you force free speech on people? That is, is speech still ‘free’ when you have to speak? Certainly denying the rights of people to speak when they want to is wrong, but is it equally wrong to force someone to speak up? It’s a bizarre question, to be sure, but one that seems to …
Jul 14 2010
Why do I care about free speech?
I think it’s a fair question to ask: why do I care about free speech? I live a live of great privilege – I don’t have many unpopular political beliefs, I am not discriminated against in any major way, there are no great social causes that I have to fight for on a daily basis …
Jul 01 2010
MP called to resign after making anti-Israeli comments
I spend a lot of time picking on other countries, but since I’m on a roll in picking on my own country, I thought I’d bring up a free speech issue that’s happening right here at home: Prime Minister Stephen Harper called on NDP MP Libby Davies to resign as her party’s deputy leader after …
Jun 28 2010
Reaction to the G8/G20 summit
I’m a big fan of Aaron Sorkin’s The West Wing. It’s interesting to get a perspective (albeit a fictional one) on what happens in the halls of government, to see how the sausage gets made. One of my favourite episodes involves a meeting by the Director of Communications with a group of youth protesting the …
Jun 16 2010
I take an unpopular stance on Holocaust denial
I know that some of my readers are Jewish. I hope that I have established my bona fides in your eyes that I am not an anti-Semite, nor will I rush to defend Jews when they are wrong. I see Judaism and Jewish people in the same way I see all religions and religious people …
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