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April 27, 2004
Stolen hopes for hate speech?
Colby Cosh has just alerted me to a novel defense to a theft charge: blatant theft can be an otherwise honest person's response to extreme stressI did not know this. On reflection, I don't think it should be a defense (although if true, I suppose it might mitigate sentencing). The accused thief is Svend Robinson, a primary backer of Bill C-250 (which I have discussed before -- recently, and back in September). There's more: Can the socialist poster boy bounce back? He faces a hard truth: People don't like thieves. He has always had strong support from gays and lesbians, Israel-haters, radical greens and others who have had his help in promoting pet causes. He also enjoys a certain trans-political cachet among those who admire his guts. But he has many enemies in his own party, and probably he has now alienated nearly everyone who has ever owned or managed a business or been a victim of larceny. Most of us know how crummy it feels to be ripped off. It leaves behind a proverbial, and justified, stamp of outrage. ("A conservative is a liberal who's been mugged," the old saying goes.)(I don't doubt it; in a land where Howard Stern is legally considered hate speech, can the Bible be far behind?) Here's Mr. Robinson's rather self-serving online statement. I don't enjoy seeing people get in trouble or kicking them when they are down, as I've been there myself. But the fact is, in politics such things are jumped on by political opponents, and this guy has been a staunch advocate of criminalizing more hate speech. Unless he steps down, he's discrediting his rather questionable cause. I'm not sympathetic to hate speech legislation, and I am glad we don't have it in this country. But if Robinson really believes in his cause, he should have the wisdom to distance himself from it by resigning ASAP. What did he steal? A $10,000 ring for his Cuban boyfriend? Must have been under a lot of stress to go that far.... Meanwhile, Colby, no fan of C-250, is hoping he'll steal again. posted by Eric on 04.27.04 at 01:48 AM |
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I'm against any laws censoring hate speech. My speech is hate speech. I hate my enemies, I hate the enemies of my freedom. I hate censorship. I hate the anti-homosexual movement. I hate everybody who is against the holy and eternal embrace of TRIBADISM. I'll defend to the death their right to say they're against it, and I'll also defend to the death _my_ right to say I'm against them. I'm mad as Hell.