« The Prophet (PBUH) Comes to Canada | Main | Governing by Distraction »
February 14, 2006
Maybe Harper IS a Robot
Okay, I'm starting to think that Stephen Harper was kidnapped and replaced with a Liberal robot at some point after January 23. First the whole Emerson and Fortier thing, and now this: (via Bourque)
Free speech is a right that all Canadians enjoy; Canadians also have the right to voice their opinion on the free speech of others. I regret the publication of this material in several media outlets. While we understand this issue is divisive, our government wishes that people be respectful of the beliefs of others. I commend the Canadian Muslim community for voicing its opinion peacefully, respectfully and democratically.
Besides obvious pandering to political correctness and spinelessness versus a threat to free speech, can I ask why peace and respect should be commended instead of being assumed to be a regular part of citizenship? I only hope the Canadian Muslim community would point out the condescension of that statement, because if not, it really does seem that they assume that they need to be told like children not to burn embassies and trash fast food outlets.
On the other hand.. ...The Government of Canada fully supports the Quartet’s statement of January 30, 2006. Future assistance to any new Palestinian government will be reviewed against that government’s commitment to the principles of non-violence, recognition of Israel and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the Roadmap.
Hey Liberals, I think your robot's starting to act up.
Posted by Kelvin at February 14, 2006 8:51 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.kelvin-chan.net/mt/mt-tb.cgi/204
Comments
I think much of the violence and destruction we are seeing is manufactured rage, promoted by certain extreme Muslim groups, the flames fanned daily by the worldwide coverage provided by the international media. Any further publication right now, on blogs or anywhere else, just plays into the hands of these people. When all this has died down, though, a new debate needs to be opened up. Let's say we never again publish an image of Mohammed in deference to Muslim sensibilities. Does that mean we must also never explore any other aspect of Mohammed, such as his family life, or his military exploits, or even how the Qu'ran came to be written down? Given the volatility of the current situation, I think Harper is wise to express regret over the publication of the cartoons, as long as he recognizes there's a larger issue of free speech and academic freedom just around the corner.
Posted by: Ogilvie Hall 
at February 15, 2006 6:08 PM
I agree that, in a sense, this whole thing has gone just way overboard thanks to some convenient fanning of the flames, and in that sense it is regretable. But the whole thing would've been a non-issue had media worldwide had just matter-of-factly reported on the story and shown the cartoons where they felt it was necessary. Instead, outlet after outlet dodged the issue, thus encouraging the notion that depicting the cartoons was somehow wrong, and that played right into the agitators' hands. The attitude of the Harper government is of the same strain, and only builds upon the notion that these images should be avoided, which is EXACTLY what the people torching the embassies in Damascus and Beirut are saying.
Posted by: Kelvin at February 17, 2006 4:52 PM
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)