No two events are perfectly parallel, but seldom are two such similar and terrible stories juxtaposed for our edification. Within 24 hours and within 500 miles from each other, two notable murders occurred -- both evil acts perpetrated in public by two different men, but both for apparent ideological reasons, both sudden and horribly unexpected events for the families and loved ones of the victims, both suspects quickly brought into custody. That's where the parallels end. What's most informative is some of the prominent responses to the two incidents: … [Read more...]
“Un-American”? Michigan Bailout Rhetoric Reaches Fever Pitch
I can feel the pain of my home state of Michigan (and no, I'm not referring to the bitter cold temperatures we're experiencing here along the Front Range). The angst coming from the Motor City and its environs is palpable. One of the most poignant examples, at least from my perspective, relates to a scheduled weekend appearance by Kentucky's U.S. Senator (and former Detroit Tigers pitcher) Jim Bunning. Detroit Free Press columnist Brian Dickerson ripped Bunning a new one after the Republican Senator voted against the UAW's federal government bailout deal. Dickerson wrote:He may be losing his marbles, but U.S. senator and ex-Tiger pitching great Jim Bunning still has big brass cojones. After all, most of the GOP senators … [Read more...]
Exclusive Video: DNC Scrubs Free Speech from Pepsi Center Sidewalk
Bringing the Democratic National Convention to town means not only cleaning up the homeless off the streets but also cleaning up any vestiges of apparently offensive speech. One of the capable Peoples Press Collective video journalists caught it on video in front of the Pepsi Center today: "Obama, stop abortion!" ... "Stand for life" - All getting washed away. I doubt there will be any debate inside the Pepsi Center about the Democratic Party's abortion platform. Free speech can be a matter of convenience sometimes. … [Read more...]
‘Blockers R Us’
I came across a great site that features anti-democratic tactics of Leftist organizations: blocking efforts to collect signatures, frivolous lawsuits, and other threats to free speech. Occasionally highlighted is the efforts of a group called By Any Means Necessary to try to shut down Colorado's Civil Rights Initiative. The radical fraud group ACORN is also regularly featured there. Stay tuned to this site, especially as the election approaches. … [Read more...]
Canadian Parents, Beware
Say what? As absurd as some of our court decisions seem to be, the Euro-wannabes north of the border have trumped us when it comes to sheer lunacy (H/T Doug Bandow):A recent court decision in Canada should send chills down every parent’s spine. The ruling is so out of bounds that the news story sounds like a parody — but it isn’t. A Canadian judge ruled that a 12-year-old girl was “excessively†punished when her father told her she could not go on a school camping trip because she had broken rules for use of the Internet. O Canada, the nation with tribunals that enforce politically-correct government censorship of speech, now gives us micromanagement of parental responsibilities. Wherever Canada is, I fear the United States is … [Read more...]
The Reports of Common Sense’s Death May Not be Exaggerated After All
Eminent UCLA law professor and blogger extraordinaire Eugene Volokh exposes a case of political correctness run amok, to the point of absurdity. "Harassment by reading"? Oh, it's worse than that. University administrators in Indiana came down hard on an employee reading during breaktime a scholarly book that included "Ku Klux Klan" in the title. (You can learn more about the incident, and the book's clearly anti-Klan theme here.) Here's the key excerpt from a university Affirmative Action Office letter, reprinted on Volokh's site:Upon review of this matter, we conclude that your conduct constitutes racial harassment in that you demonstrated disdain and insensitivity to your co-workers who repeatedly requested that you refrain from … [Read more...]
Steyn on Left’s Creeping Concessions to Islamic Sharia
Over at the Corner, Mark Steyn highlights the Left's illogical "Sharia creep" in its latest manifestations in the United States:Forty years ago, advocating separate drinking fountains made you a racist. Today, advocating separate taxi cabs or separate swimming sessions makes you a multiculturalist. No one has a keener eye for this stuff than Mark Steyn. If you're not reading him regularly, you should be. After all, he has been fighting the good fight for free speech against Canada's Human Rights Commission. (More on this story from Michelle Malkin.) A little solidarity today from south of the 48th parallel. … [Read more...]