Canadia Update

Via Instapundit, an update on the Canadian Human Rights Commission, here.

Again, to me this issue is a simple one: we cannot compromise free speech. Ever. This absolutism needs to be tempered with some sensible pragmatism as well. Just because one has the right to speech, doesn't mean one has the right to a megaphone- but this case from Canada isn't about megaphones, it's about hate speech. Don't get me wrong: I'm not in favor of hateful, racist speech, but I don't think you can legislate against it either. Like it or not, racists may be really, really dumb in your eyes, but you can stop them thinking what they think- no one can- and that includes giving voice to thought, unfortunately.

You can probably tie this in with the attempts to bring back the media fairness doctrine on the part of the Democrats in Congress- (I posted my disapproval of this some days back) the media fairness doctrine would force radio stations to give equal time to opposing points of view- similar to what the CIC is asking of the McClean's Magazine in the Canadian case. On the part of Democrats, this is extremely foolish: such a doctrine can cut both ways- and one can almost predict the howls of rage from liberal pundits and networks when they're forced to bring conservatives on in the name of equal time. Likewise, prosecutions and demands for equal time in the name of 'anti-Muslim' speech can be spun both ways. Instapundit, in his wisdom has the right idea:

Yes, now is not the time to slack off. I also think it would be a good time for Canadians to flood the HRCs with complaints about racist and sexist speech from Muslim clerics, Womyn's activists, and the like. God knows there's plenty of material to work with

Indeed. One would like to hear the reaction of the Canadian Islamic Congress if some extreme cleric spouts off against the immorality of western woman and the pros and cons of violent jihad. Surely under the standards the CHRC has that would qualify as hate speech. Though it's funny how when it comes political correctness, the policing never goes both ways. Only one way- the way the PC police find to be 'the correct way.'

I'm going to have save this until fall, but it'd be interesting to bounce this off a Women's Studies class: what is the feminist reaction to oppression of women in the Muslim world? And why is it so curiously muted? (At least in mainstream eyes. I've discovered that when one delves into feminism with set pre-conceptions about what's out there and what's not, one usually discovers that there's quite a lot you haven't heard about.) I've got to think there's got to be some discomfort sharing similar ideological space to Bush and the neo-cons. (Bush and Company thinking the liberation of the Middle East is a good thing, feminists thinking liberating women from gross oppression being a good thing.)

Definately going to have to do some digging on that.