Update: the interwebs are interesting...
One of the folks involved in the complaint appears connected to the group blog "Law is Cool". It is by a group of law students. Go figure. There has been some, err, discussion around that blog. I'll get all the links up later.
a comment left at Magicstats:
Canadian dude
This almost seems comical; none of you actually address the substantive content of the blog in question.
And looking at the other posts on this blog and the others in his fan base, the contents are as bad and at times worse than Steyn’s.
You guys are a bunch of scary people down there in the U.S. Keep your notions of freedom on that side of the border, we don’t want it.
a comment left at Jay Currie's blog:
Canadian dude
This almost seems comical; none of you actually address the substantive content of the blog in question.
And looking at the other posts on this blog and the others in his fan base, the contents are as bad and at times worse than Steyn’s.
You guys are a bunch of scary people down there in the U.S. Keep your notions of freedom on that side of the border, we don’t want it.
Magicstats' observations?
In like manner, because of Canadian dude’s lack of knowledge about the internet and blogging, his claim to have read "other posts on this blog" is proven false and his true origin exposed. By consulting my StatCounter service, I discovered that Canadian dude is a Law Is Cool blogger and visited only one post at my blog, namely, the one he commented on.
The administrator's comment page at my blog identifies Canadian dude's IP address as 99.243.245.229. Tracking down that IP address at StatCounter's "Recent Pageload Activity" log brought up the Visitor Analysis, the Navigation Path from which is posted below. (Sorry about the small size of the graphic. Clicking on the image will bring up a full-size view.)
From the London Free Press:
In a flagrant attack on freedom of the press, the Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC) has filed three human rights complaints against Maclean's magazine and its editor-in-chief, Kenneth Whyte, accusing them of spreading "hatred and contempt" for Muslims, by publishing an article by Mark Steyn on Oct. 23, 2006, entitled The Future Belongs to Islam.
The article in dispute is an excerpt from Steyn's bestselling book America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It. Consider the implications: By the logic of the CIC's attack on Maclean's magazine, the owners and operators of Canadian libraries and bookstores could also be charged with violating the human rights of Muslims by making not just Steyn's article but also his entire book widely available to Canadians throughout the country.from the same article, this is worth pondering:
Alan Borovoy, general counsel for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, underlined the danger last year after the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada filed a human rights complaint against the Western Standard for republishing a set of Danish cartoons that many Muslims found offensive. In an article in the Calgary Herald, Borovoy wrote: "During the years when my colleagues and I were labouring to create (human rights) commissions, we never imagined that they might ultimately be used against freedom of speech."
And from Naseem Mithoowani, Khurrum Awan , Muneeza Sheikh and Daniel Simard, an article in the National Post:
What we did ask for, however, was an opportunity for the Muslim community to participate in the "free marketplace" of ideas. It is our belief that in its truest form, freedom of expression results in a lively debate among all interested parties -- not just among those who play by their own exclusionary rules. If Maclean's wants to publish articles alleging that many Muslims are "hot for jihad," it has to provide an opportunity to respond.
This issue isn't about attacking journalists or stifling free expression. It's about ensuring that our media outlets provide a forum for open debate and argument.
ps. if you don't know much about this issue, I think you should.
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