A Few Impertinent Questions about Hate Speech

Posted on 7 March 2019 by eehines

One of the things French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed for strengthening of the European Union’s governance—the EU’s Government—is

enhanced protection against hate speech

In particular, in his op-ed For European renewal [emphasis Macron’s]

creating a European Agency for the Protection of Democracies, which will provide each Member State with European experts…European rules banish all incitements to hate and violence from the Internet

This is to be done under the guise of

respect for the individual is the bedrock of our civilisation of dignity.

My questions aren’t specific to Macron, though, or to the EU—they’re general in their application.

This is a preview of A Few Impertinent Questions about Hate Speech. Read the full post (246 words, estimated 59 secs reading time)

The Problem with this Kind of Law Suit

Posted on 7 March 2019 by eehines

The State of Michigan, through its Attorney General and Department of Civil Rights, has decided to use the Southern Poverty Law Center’s claimed identifications of “hate groups” to spearhead those two agencies’ pretended protection of Michigan citizens from the ravages of hatred.

One of the targets of the State’s AG and MDCR, selected from the SPLC’s smear lists, is the American Freedom Law Center, an Evil Judeo-Christian law firm. Far from being cowed, the law firm is pushing back, in spades: they’ve filed suit against Dana Nessel, the AG, and Agustin Arbulu, the MSCR’s Executive Director. Robert Muise, AFLC’s Co-Founder and Senior Counsel:

This is a preview of The Problem with this Kind of Law Suit. Read the full post (456 words, estimated 1:49 mins reading time)

Precedents and Progressive-Democrats

Posted on 6 March 2019 by eehines

Progressive-Democrats in Congress are threatening President Donald Trump with “precedents” if he doesn’t withdraw his declaration of a national emergency over the crisis on our southern border.

Julian Castro:

I will come into office with a strong belief that climate change is a national emergency, that the fact that so many people in this country die because of gun violence, that is a national emergency….

Senator and Progressive-Democratic Party Presidential candidate Kamala Harris:

It’s time we address the actual emergencies plaguing our nation: gun violence, lack of access to health care, and climate change.

This is a preview of Precedents and Progressive-Democrats. Read the full post (260 words, estimated 1:02 mins reading time)

Alphabet Strikes Again

Posted on 6 March 2019 by eehines

Recall Alphabet’s decision to use its Google arm to help the government and defense establishment of our enemy, the People’s Republic of China, while simultaneously refusing to help our own develop the tools needed to defend our nation.

Now Alphabet has chosen to use its Google facility to actively aid the government of Saudi Arabia in keeping Saudi women down on the Arab farm. The Saudi government has put an app into Alphabet’s Google Play store that allows Saudi male citizens to track “their” Saudi women and control where they travel.

Alphabet says that’s jake and refuses to block the app.

This is a preview of Alphabet Strikes Again. Read the full post (149 words, estimated 36 secs reading time)

Kamala Harris Wants to Confront Dark History

Posted on 25 February 2019 by eehines

Progressive-Democratic Party Presidential candidate wannabe and Senator Kamala Harris (D, CA) wants us to take our dark history seriously.

We must confront the dark history of slavery and government-sanctioned discrimination in this country that has had many consequences, including undermining the ability of black families to build wealth in America for generations. We need systemic, structural changes to address that.

Absolutely. The Progressive-Democratic Party must confront its dark history of slavery and government-sanctioned discrimination.

This is a preview of Kamala Harris Wants to Confront Dark History. Read the full post (519 words, estimated 2:05 mins reading time)

Religious Freedom

Posted on 23 February 2019 by eehines

Germany doesn’t appear to have the same strong belief in it that Americans (or most of us, anyway) do. The Federal Labor Court has objected to a Catholic clinic terminating a doctor because he violated Church teachings, specifically, he both divorced and then remarried.

The doctor insisted—successfully, it turns out—that he was fired for being Catholic; colleagues of different faiths could divorce and remarry without consequence.

This is a preview of Religious Freedom. Read the full post (176 words, estimated 42 secs reading time)

Argument by Non Sequitur

Posted on 19 February 2019 by eehines

Kentucky’s State House of Representatives passed, by a large margin (69-20) a bill that would outlaw most abortions, contingent on the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade.

If passed by the State’s Senate (expected) and signed by the Governor (also expected), it’ll have legal problems, though. Major ones will be what constitutes “overturning,” how an actual overturn would be discriminated from serious modification of Roe‘s ruling, and since Roe is medical technology oriented, a restatement of the threshold for viability.

Still, though, the arguments for and against the bill are instructive.

State Congressman James Tipton (R), speaking for the bill, put the matter starkly:

This is a preview of Argument by Non Sequitur. Read the full post (309 words, estimated 1:14 mins reading time)

Truth and Truth

Posted on 17 February 2019 by eehines

A college basketball player at the University of Wisconsin has taken to sitting on the bench during the pregame national anthem playing. Her rationalization is this:

I’m going to speak up about things that are harming my culture and my people.

She certainly should speak against iniquities, but she needs to understand that her culture is American, and her people are her fellow Americans.

Full stop.

This is a preview of Truth and Truth. Read the full post (100 words, estimated 24 secs reading time)

Sexism Blocking Free Speech

Posted on 15 February 2019 by eehines

Now it’s Twitter that’s engaging in toxic (non)-speech, not the speech in the tweets themselves.

A Canadian blogger is having to sue Twitter over the latter’s blatant censorship of free speech because, apparently, she isn’t toeing the Twitter (or me also “movement”) sexual politics line.

Meghan Murphy, the founder of the blog Feminist Current, was locked out of her account last year when the company asked her to delete a tweet that said, “Men aren’t women,” CNET reported, citing the lawsuit. A second tweet said, “How are transwomen not men?” according to the suit.

This is evil?

This is a preview of Sexism Blocking Free Speech. Read the full post (131 words, estimated 31 secs reading time)

Two Examples of Gun Control

Posted on 14 February 2019 by eehines

In January, a Houston homeowner successfully defended himself and his family against a large, violent home invasion—with a gun.

Authorities say the homeowner defended himself when the suspects entered the home. Following the shooting, the suspects fled from the scene.
…
At another scene, a vehicle was found about two blocks from the shooting, where a man was found dead in the backseat.
Authorities say that out of five people shot, three of them died. All were suspects in the alleged home invasion.

In Florida this week, another homeowner successfully defended his property—with a gun.

This is a preview of Two Examples of Gun Control. Read the full post (287 words, estimated 1:09 mins reading time)

A Plebe's Site

Quam bene vivas referre, non quam diu.

Category Archives: rights