Writer finds himself in eye of media storm

"the focus shifted to the hate speech prosecution of Canada's century-old newsmagazine, Maclean's, and its star columnist, Mark Steyn"

As soon as a society allows the government to decide what is or is not appropriate speech, then what one may say depends on whom one votes for. In Hitler's Germany, anti-Nazi speech was a hate crime. In today's Germany, pro-Nazi speech is a hate crime. Sixty years from now it may circle around again, because the Germans have established the principle that the government may decide which opinions an individual may express.

Canada has particularly fascistic laws against hate speech. Government ministers could theoretically declare a legal fatwa against Salman Rushdie for his ridicule of Islam in The Satanic Verses, just as if they were a group of beaver-hatted ayatollahs, because "Canada's Human Rights Code makes it an offence to spread messages that are likely to expose people to hatred or contempt." In a broad interpretation, Rushdie is guilty!

One might have some sympathy, albeit not much, for misguided but well-intentioned laws which would make it a crime to expose people to hatred or contempt for what they are, but Canada's laws make it a crime to expose people to contempt for what they believe. In a free society, foolish beliefs not only CAN be subject to ridicule, but they SHOULD be. That's the way a free society exposes and eventually marginalizes or eliminates crackpot thinking.

In Canada, guys like Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien would theoretically be guilty of hate speech on a regular basis. (For example, when they ridiculed Mitt Romney and other Mormons for their magic underwear.)

Every time somebody tells me that there is nothing special about America, I point them to the First Amendment. It's not the only unique protection afforded to American citizens, but it's the most important. To my knowledge, every other populace on earth has allowed its government to determine which beliefs individuals may or may not express. America stands alone in protecting free speech.

Does it turn my stomach to hear free speech when it is expressed by Islamic radicals, Nazis, and Hollywood communists? Sure. But a queasy stomach is the price of liberty.