Those who can tear themselves away from 2Blowhards should be sure to follow Tongue Tied, another blog we run in the right hand column. It helps keep up with the state of free speech and tolerance in today’s pluralistic world. Some current examples:
- In France, the Eldest Daughter of the Church and a nation dedicated to liberte, a priest has been fined $1,000 for describing the Koran as a handbook of the devil in a letter to his parishioners. He’s 82 years old, so he hadn’t gotten with the program yet. This’ll straighten him out in the future when he advises his parishioners on religious matters.
- In England, homeland of freedom and British correctness, a newspaper columnist is under police investigation for suggesting that the adoption of a new affirmative action quota system could make homosexual activity a career move for police officers. There’s some concern comments like his may not actually be illegal yet, but no doubt the Blair government will plug the hole if it exists.
- And in Howard Dean’s state, famed for Yankee independence, Brattleboro Union High School is retiring its “Southern Colonel” mascot as “racist”. Given the concern for any hint of racial abuse, it’s surprising no action was taken against the woman who commented at the meeting “Today, this vote was just the beginning in recognizing white pathology, white racism and superiority.”
The Vermont case is another
The Vermont case is another example of the gulf between rulers and ruled. Polls of students and alumni found that 62% and 87%, respectively, wanted no change in the Brattleboro school’s mascot, while 79% of faculty and staff (surely a far smaller group of people) wanted to change it. The School Board voted 8-1 to change it. This is a micro example of our macro problem (best exemplified by immigration): our society is being remade or destroyed by a small group of people acting against the expressed desires of most of the rest of us. How do we get their attention? HRS