Ezra Levant

[Myrhaf]

By Myrhaf from Myrhaf,cross-posted by MetaBlog

We all know what evil looks like in totalitarian states. The Soviet KGB or the Nazi SS knocking on the door and taking an innocent person away in the night for expressing an opinion the state does not like. But how does evil come in western welfare states?

Take at look at these videos of Ezra Levant defending himself before the Canadian Human Rights Commission for publishing anti-Muslim cartoons. His defense is brilliant and inspiring. These videos are must-viewing.

Look at how normal and nice it all is: the bland bureaucrat and the average conference room. No dungeons, no torture apparatus, no goose-stepping guards. But behind the polite bureaucracy lie the guns of the state, the same force used by the KGB and the SS. This is how we lose our freedom.

I want to shake people awake, to make them see that the way things are -- the welfare state bureaucracy -- is a violation of individual rights. It is incremental tyranny. It is immoral. I hope these videos showing the obscenity of an individual having to justify to the state his ideas will open some eyes.

UPDATE: More at Ezra Levant's blog.

View the full article

[SkyTrooper]

Look at how normal and nice it all is: the bland bureaucrat and the average conference room. No dungeons, no torture apparatus, no goose-stepping guards. But behind the polite bureaucracy lie the guns of the state, the same force used by the KGB and the SS. This is how we lose our freedom.

Did this remind anyone else of the scene where Rearden is put on trial in Atlas Shrugged? Perhaps his response should have been more along the lines of "I have no defense, I do not recognize the right of the this court to try me."

[Chops]

Did this remind anyone else of the scene where Rearden is put on trial in Atlas Shrugged? Perhaps his response should have been more along the lines of "I have no defense, I do not recognize the right of the this court to try me."

Very much so. That bit was more-or-less in his closing statement.

[aequalsa]

I'll be the first to say it. I have a serious "man crush" on this guy. We could certainly use a few more like him.

[softwareNerd]

Levant blogs about another case, decided by Canada's human rights commission. The remedy seems rather egregious: the defendant -- an anti-homosexual Christian priest -- has been banned from publishing any "disparaging" remarks ever again about homosexuals.

Another odd fact about the case is that their was no victim. The decision says "no ... victim has come forward". Instead, the complaint was brought by a third party, who was turned off by the priest's bigotry. The decision gives this third-party compensation saying that although he was not a victim, he "... did expend considerable time and energy and suffered ridicule and harassment as a result of his complaint."

Edited June 13, 2008 by softwareNerd

[Zip]

These things are a disgrace to my country. well what do you expect from a place that doesn't have Property rights but has Hate laws. :dough:

[FeatherFall]

If the situation wasn't so sad, it would be inspiring.

I got a kick out of Levant's reply to the interrogator's statement, "You have a right to your opinion."

The reply (I think - it's been a while since I watched the vids): "I wish that were the case!"

Edited June 13, 2008 by FeatherFall

[Thales]

Here is another Ezra Levant video. This is a "discussion" panel over the issue of what I'd call thought police. I put "discussion" in quotes, because Ezra is brilliant here again, really taking it to a bureaucrat who is a member of the Canadian Human Rights Commission. It runs about 1 hour and 24 minutes, but I recommend at least Ezra's opening statements if you can't sit through the whole thing. I think he's the second guy to talk.

http://www.cpac.ca/forms/index.asp?dsp=tem...amp;clipID=1593

The following is the description of the video:

Public Record

On May 24th, 2008, The Canadian Association of Journalists' 30th anniversary national conference and annual general meeting was held in Edmonton.

Panelists discuss human rights and the ongoing controversy over the limits of free speech.

[~Sophia~]

On July 11 Mr. Levant spoke to a committee of the U.S. Congress. Here is what he said. US has a number of human rights commissions of its own.

Understand that the erosion of freedom doesn’t always happen with a bang – it can happen with a whimper. And that, when it comes to free speech, it’s usually unpopular people who are censored first. But if they can go for a neo-Nazi yesterday, it’s Geno’s Steak House today, and then a Christian pastor or a news magazine tomorrow.

Edited July 13, 2008 by ~Sophia~

[softwareNerd]

Erza Levant is being sued, and is asking for donations to help pay his legal bills.

 

Please help: tomorrow (Thursday) in a Toronto court house, I'm being sued by Khurrum Awan, the youth president of the Canadian Islamic Congress who tried to censor Mark Steyn.

 

In fact, he's suing me for writing about what he did at Steyn's trial -- five years ago!

 

Of course, it's just more "lawfare" -- the abuse of our western legal process, as a soft jihad against our traditional freedoms.

...  ...

Use the link to see the rest.

 

Earlier threads on Levant are here, here and here.