‘Now, mounting a Hyde Park
soapbox to praise Chechens’ valiant struggle or urging Palestinians or Iraqis
or afghans to keep resisting foreign occupation will be a crime. Terrorism has
erased the term “justice” from our minds.
The litmus test of free speech in
letting people you detest say what they choose & defending their right to
say things that may be painfully hateful or deeply stupid.
Tony Blair just trampled this
basic British right. Britain now joins sleazy, third-world despotisms where
‘The Glorious Leader’ alone determines what one may & may not say.
Stopping the ravings of a handful
of loud-mouthed fanatics like the recently jailed British iman, Abu Hamza, is
not worth endangering Britain’s sacrosanct freedoms.
History shows such gag laws are
soon followed by offences like “insulting the leadership”. Then, by crimes like
“encouraging anti-state activities” & that gulag gate opener, being “an
enemy of the people.”’
Totalitarian Tony
More expensive free speech
From the ABC
Irving jailed for denying Holocaust
By Europe correspondent Rafael Epstein
An Austrian court has found the right-wing British historian David Irving guilty of denying the Holocaust and sentenced him to three years in prison.
Irving appeared stunned by the verdict and says he is planning to appeal against the sentence.
Irving pleaded guilty to a charge of denying the Holocaust in speeches and interviews in Austria in 1989.
He now says his claim that there were no gas chambers in Auschwitz was false.
"I pleaded guilty on the advice of my lawyer... obviously I've changed," he said.
"History is a constantly growing tree and I've learnt a lot since 1989."
Austria has the most punitive laws in the world covering Holocaust denial.
His lawyer, Elmar Kresbach, says the law outlawing Holocaust denial should be abolished.
------------------
Gus laments
My very good friends who still have the tattooed numbers from Auschwitz on their forearms would be horrified despite their constant nightmares of the death camps... Despite the hurt that this fellow Irving peddled to their memory, it would be more appropriate to laugh at him rather that inflict a penalty that proves that freedom has become a dream. ..
What has happened to US rocker and writer Henry Rollins is a disgrace...
"""US rocker and writer Henry Rollins was reported to the National Security hotline during his recent Australian tour because of a book he was reading on flight to Brisbane"""
We have returned to the 15th Century Inquisition.. Tragic! Where's Voltaire? We need him more than ever again!
on rocker rollins .....
On Rocker Rollins Gus ....
"US rocker and writer Henry
Rollins was reported to the National Security hotline during his recent
Australian tour because of a book he was reading on flight to Brisbane."
"A furious Rollins was
informed he was "nominated as a possible threat" for reading Jihad:
The Rise Of Militant Islam In Central Asia."
"The incident happened on a
flight from Auckland on the recent Big Day Out tour."
Rollins received a letter from
the Australian government warning him not to read such books in future. His
response was to post the letter on his website and tell the Australian
government to "go f***k themselves."
Latest
Airline Terror Threat: People Who Read Books