Red China Jails and Gags Dissidents but So Too Does Canada, CAFE Tells the Globe

Written by Paul Fromm

Wednesday, 29 June 2011 04:09

*Red China Jails and Gags Dissidents but So Too Does Canada, CAFE Tells the Globe* June 28, 2011 The Editor, *The Globe and Mail* Dear Sir: Re: Your editorial "The sound of silence" (*Globe and Mail*, June 28, 2011) Mr. X was sentenced to 18 months in prison for writing numereous letters to representatives. He served 11 months and was saddled with parile conditions forbidding him from writing to the said 20 representatives. These conditions were later increased to forbid him to write to any representative. Finally, he was forbidden to write to anyone without their their prior permission. No Mr X., was not a Chinese dissident like Hu Jia or Ai Weiwei, but prolific protest letter writer Brad Love right here in Canada. In 2003, he was sent ot jail for writing non-violent but strongly worded letters critical of immigration to MPs and other officials . He was charged under Canada's notorious "hate law" and then gagged by judicial fiat. Your editorial is dead on in its criticism of China's gagging of dissidents. You conclude: "The West needs to continue sending the message that human rights matter." Indeed, we should but before we get too preachy, we should get our own house in order. The gagging of pesky letter writer Brad Love is every bit as much a reproach to Canada's judicial system as is the Red China's treatment of dissidents like Hu Jia Ai Weiwei and others is to theirs. Sincerely yours, Paul Fromm Director CANADIAN ASSOCIATION FOR FREE EXPRESSION 905-274-3868 On human rights, China enforces the sound of silence From Tuesday's Globe and Mail Published Monday, Jun. 27, 2011 7:30PM EDT The tone set by the Chinese state has grown harsher in recent months, and the manner of release of two dissidents in the past few days shows that the security apparatus has found a way to silence its fiercest, most independent critics. The Chinese authorities appear to be worried at the prospect of an equivalent of the Arab spring; their actions against dissidents seemed to intensify after a mysterious call this winter for a jasmine revolution. The harshness may also represent some jockeying in advance of a transfer of power to a new generation of leaders in 2012 and 2013. Hu Jia, 37, was released on Sunday after 42 months in prison, after testifying by phone to the European Parliament, protesting human-rights violations in the period leading up to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. He won Europe's highest honour for human rights work, the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, in 2008. When he was freed this week, dozens of police barred reporters from his home. His wife, Zeng Jinyan, had explained earlier in a blog that he would be deprived of his political rights for one year. Ai Weiwei, 54, an artist, was released last week after being held since April without charges. Human Rights Watch says he has the “sword of Damocles” hanging over his head, and if he speaks out he will lose his freedom again, though no explicit restriction stops him. Some had thought that because of his international fame as an artist and as the son of a renowned poet, the state and the party wouldn't act against him. They thought wrong. Mr. Ai has asked reporters to leave him to his silence. For the first time, China's public security budget has outstripped its military budget. Scores of human rights lawyers and bloggers have been rounded up and made to “disappear,” at least temporarily, according to Chinese human-rights groups and Amnesty International. Censorship of the Internet is being strengthened. Mr. Hu and Mr. Ai are not truly free, and as long as they are not, China cannot claim it is strengthening its rule of law. The West, while engaging with China, needs to continue sending the message that human rights matter.

 

Freedom Wins: Wildrose Party Vows to Scrap Alberta Human Rights Commission

Written by Paul Fromm

Monday, 27 June 2011 20:39

*Freedom Wins: Wildrose Party Vows to Scrap Alberta Human Rights Commission* ** *By many accounts, the upstart populist Wildrose Party may well win the next provincial election in Alberta and replace the tired, interventionist, deficit ridden "Progressive Conservatives" under the lack lustre Premier Ed Stelmach.* ** *Thus, it's hopeful news that to answer the question, "What are you guys going to do differently?" the Wildrose Party's weekend policy conference in Calgary promised to rid the province of the wildly anti-freedom human rights commission.* ** *The Calgary Herald (June 26, 2011) reported: "*A Wildrose Alliance government would scrap the 'kangaroo court' Alberta Human Rights Commission. ... The Stelmach government immediately condemned the Wildrose policy to axe the commission as 'ludicrous' and one that would fail to adequately protect the human rights of Albertans." In fact, the Alberta Human Rights Commission has repeatedly and flagrantly tried to silence populists, immigration critics and people leery of the homosexual agenda. In the early '90s, they urged hotels in Edmonton not to permit meetings of the Canadian League of Rights, who were discussing the Canadian Constitution (for God's sake), as they, it was said, had been a "magnet for violence." In fact, the only disturbances had been created by small protests instigated by a communist professor in B.C, who had made the complaint to the AHRC in the first place! No, Premier Stelmach, the Alberta Human Rights Commission is a menace to the rights of freedom of speech of all Albertans! "In a decision that’s already sparking controversy, Wildrose members — including leader Danielle Smith — overwhelmingly voted to disband the Alberta Human Rights Commission, but keep the overarching legislation in place and allow complaints to be dealt with by the courts. 'The human rights commissions have discredited themselves over the last number of years,' Smith told reporters at the Telus Convention Centre. She said the Alberta commission has taken on 'frivolous cases,' demonstrated the person charged under them is presumed guilty and left innocent people with hefty legal bills. 'I have to respect the views of my members on this,' Smith added." Indeed, despite Premier Stelmach's statement, the *Herald* reports: "Some Tory MLAs and other organizations believe the Alberta Human Rights Commission has been used as a system to harass people." And more good news for free expression: " In Saskatchewan, Premier Brad Wall and his government have introduced legislation that would abolish that province’s human rights tribunal." Paul Fromm Director CANADIAN ASSOCIATION FOR FREE EXPRESSION By Jason Fekete, *Calgary Herald* June 26, 2011 *Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith took aim at the Alberta Human Rights Commission on Saturday. *Photograph by: Stuart Gradon, Calgary Herald A Wildrose Alliance government would scrap the “kangaroo court” Alberta Human Rights Commission, promote private, not-for-profit hospitals in a publicly funded system and appoint a chief firearms officer. The Stelmach government immediately condemned the Wildrose policy to axe the commission as “ludicrous” and one that would fail to adequately protect the human rights of Albertans. More than 500 Wildrose members gathered in Calgary this weekend for the party’s annual convention to prepare candidates and organizers for the next provincial election, which could come as early as this fall. But they also voted Saturday on a few dozen policy resolutions that distinguish the party from its main rival, the ruling Progressive Conservatives. In a decision that’s already sparking controversy, Wildrose members — including leader Danielle Smith — overwhelmingly voted to disband the Alberta Human Rights Commission, but keep the overarching legislation in place and allow complaints to be dealt with by the courts. “The human rights commissions have discredited themselves over the last number of years,” Smith told reporters at the Telus Convention Centre. She said the Alberta commission has taken on “frivolous cases,” demonstrated the person charged under them is presumed guilty and left innocent people with hefty legal bills. “I have to respect the views of my members on this,” Smith added. Some Tory MLAs and other organizations believe the Alberta Human Rights Commission has been used as a system to harass people. In Saskatchewan, Premier Brad Wall and his government have introduced legislation that would abolish that province’s human rights tribunal. The Stelmach government has previously suggested the commission had missed its mandate and was becoming a “kangaroo court.” The province introduced a number of reforms to strengthen the quasi-judicial body, including hiring retired Court of Queen’s Bench judge David Blair Mason as commission chief and introducing reforms to address so-called frivolous cases. “It’s pretty ludicrous to say we can’t improve the human rights commission, we have to throw in the towel and abolish it,” said Culture Minister Lindsay Blackett, the minister responsible for the commission. It’s extremely expensive for complainants and respondents to go through the formal courts, which actually dissuades people from raising legitimate cases, he said. The human rights commission isn’t necessarily designed to protect freedom of speech as many Wildrose members demand, he said. Rather, it’s meant to protect Albertans from discrimination, which will be all the more important as immigrants continue to flock to the province for jobs, he explained. “To do what they’re talking about is ridiculous,” Blackett added. The cause celebre on the issue is the case of conservative commentator Ezra Levant, who had his own lengthy battle with the provincial human rights commission. A case against Levant was brought forth by Calgary Imam Syed Soharwardy, who complained that Levant’s decision to publish Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in the Western Standard magazine in 2006 was an affront to his human rights. Soharwardy eventually dropped his complaint after two years, although an Edmonton Muslim group filed a similar one that went through the commission before Levant was eventually let off, albeit with a $100,000 legal tab. Levant said Saturday the Wildrose party’s policy decision “is a reflection that things are out of sync” and that it’s too easy to bring forward nuisance cases against innocent people. “I believe this is politically saleable,” Levant said at the convention. Wildrose members also passed a couple of intriguing health-care policies, including for the government to “strongly encourage private, not-for-profit hospitals to operate within the publicly funded health system.” Smith said members have clearly stated they prefer competitive delivery and a variety of different health-care providers, including public and private facilities. In a move that also won strong support from members, a Wildrose government would repeal controversial power line and land-use legislation passed by the Stelmach government, including bills 50, 19 and 36. The party also passed a policy supporting the rights of firearms owners, stern sentencing for violent crimes involving guns and the need to appoint a chief firearms officer in Alberta. “I don’t think there’s anything passed today that I won’t be able to defend,” Smith said. Wildrosers took a moderate position on some environmental policies, rejecting a resolution that would have scrapped current policies calling for “more efficient resource recovery methods” and environmentally responsible energy development. On the fiscal side, the party axed a current policy that would allow a Wildrose government to tap the Heritage Fund when provincial GDP growth is less than two per cent. [email protected] © Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald

 

Slumping White Birthrates Finally Getting Attention of Establishment Politicians

Written by Paul Fromm

Sunday, 26 June 2011 03:21

*Slumping White Birthrates Finally Getting Attention of Establishment Politicians* *It seems like the low White birthrates in Europe have finally caught the attention of some politicians in Washington. Of course they don't talk about it as being a problem for our race but rather as a future obstacle to economic growth. I knew Congressman Chris Smith (R-New Jersey) during my Washington days. He first came to the House as a youthful right-to-life advocate, ousting an incumbent involved in the "Ab-Scam" investigation. His voting record is that of a conventional conservative Republican. Note his concern about "xenophobic and ultranationalist violence." This is about as close as U.S. establishment politicians will come to addressing what is the foremost challenge to our people. At least the issue is being taken seriously for a change. Numerous European countries are, piecemeal, offering incentives to families for having two or more children. Note the quotation from Polybius at the end. Much as the 'implosion' of the old Soviet Union was not anticipated by the so-called experts, the White West could be in for sweeping (unanticipated) changes in policy and leadership. Stay tuned. Louis T. March Rockbridge Baths, VA 24473 * --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * ‘Europe is dying’ U.S. population expert tells Senate hearing* by Thaddeus Baklinski Tue Jun 21, 2011 13:50 EST Comments (7) Tags: chris smith, population control, steve mosher Population Research Institute (PRI) President Steven Mosher WASHINGTON DC, June 21, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Given the precipitous decline in the birthrates of European countries, all anti-natal programs funded by the United States should immediately be replaced by pro-natal programs, one top population expert recently told the U.S. Senate. “It doesn’t matter whether we call them reproductive health programs, family planning programs, or population control programs,” said Stephen Mosher, president of the Population Research Institute (PRI). “They all have the same effect: they force down the birth rate in countries that are already dying. Such programs are only making a bad problem worse.” The hearing before the Senate Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe focused on the implications for the security, as well as the economic and social developments in Europe, due to demographic decline marked by diminishing and rapidly aging populations, in most of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) 56 participating states. Commission Chairman, Rep. Chris Smith noted that the member states - every country of Europe and the former Soviet Union, as well as the U.S. and Canada - are already seeing dramatic demographic changes that are “sure to have dramatic consequences for the security, economic, and human dimensions of the OSCE.” “The fact is that most OSCE countries are in demographic decline, many of them in rapid decline. Only a handful of the OSCE’s 56 member states are at or above replacement level,” Smith observed. Mosher agreed. “Five centuries after the Black Plague devastated Europe, a White Pestilence is now decimating that same continent,” he said. “Many nations, especially in Europe, are already in a death spiral, losing a significant number of people each year. Listen closely, and you will hear the muffled sound of populations crashing.” The commission heard that the pattern of demographic decline will likely have significant social, economic and security consequences for countries throughout the region. States will become increasingly dependent upon foreign workers in the coming decades, while there will be a dramatic decrease in the pool of potential recruits for military service, resulting in mounting social tensions “as demonstrated by clashes in some participating States in recent years,” according to Smith. “It is alarming and sad to see xenophobic and ultranationalist violence fueled by one nation’s perceptions of long-term decline vis-a-vis another group,” Smith said. “Likewise with the economy,” Smith continued. “It is far from clear how, in many of the most rapidly declining countries, how economic growth can be sustained by a declining population - or, to touch on the most pressing specific, how the numerically smaller younger generations will even begin to provide for the larger older generations.” Steven Mosher, whose presentation to the Commission concluded that the downward spiral of fertility decline and resulting demographic collapse is almost beyond reversal, began his address with a quote from ancient Greece: “One remarks nowadays all over Greece such a diminution in natality and in general manner such depopulation that the towns are deserted and the fields lie fallow. Although this country has not been ravaged by wars or epidemics, the cause of the harm is evident: by avarice or cowardice the people, if they marry, will not bring up the children they ought to have. At most they bring up one or two. It is in this way that the scourge before it is noticed is rapidly developed. The remedy is in ourselves; we have but to change our morals.” (Polybius, 204-122 B.C.)