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Japan vows force if Chinese land on disputed islands

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Apr 252013

Japan’s prime minister vowed Tuesday to “expel by force” any Chinese landing on islands at the centre of a territorial row, after eight Chinese government vessels sailed into the disputed waters.

The latest clash over the archipelago upped the stakes in a tense diplomatic battle as nearly 170 Japanese lawmakers visited the controversial Yasukuni war shrine in central Tokyo, seen as a potent symbol of Japan’s imperialist past, riling its neighbours China and South Korea.

Tokyo summoned the Chinese ambassador to Japan after the state-owned Chinese ships entered its territorial waters while Beijing called the shrine visit an “attempt to deny Japan’s history of aggression”.

The flotilla is the biggest to sail into the disputed waters in a single day since Tokyo nationalised part of the island chain in September.

The islands are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and are believed to harbour vast natural resources below the seabed.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to “expel by force” any Chinese landing on the islands in the East China Sea, and promised “decisive action”.

“We would never allow a landing,” Abe told parliament in response to questions from lawmakers, adding: “It would be natural for us to expel by force if (the Chinese) were to make a landing,” he said.

Chinese ships have frequently sailed around the five Tokyo-controlled islands in recent months sparking diplomatic clashes.

The Chinese maritime surveillance ships entered the 12-nautical-mile zone off the islands, which China calls Diaoyu and Japan calls the Senkaku, around 8:00 am (2300 GMT Monday), the Japan Coast Guard said.

The eight vessels left by about 7:15 pm, Jiji Press news agency reported, quoting the regional coast guard headquarters.

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Japan vows force if Chinese land on disputed islands

Religion and free speech : itâ€™s complicated

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Mar 112013

For centuries, free speech and religion have been cast as opponents. Index looks at the complicated relationship between religion and free speech

While they exist harmoniously on paper, free expression and religion often conflict in practice, and free speech is often trampled in the name of protecting religious sensibilities whether through self-censorship or legislation that censors.

History offers many examples of religious freedom being repressed too. Both free expression and religious freedom need protection from those who would meddle with them. And they are not necessarily incompatible.

Over 200 years ago, the United States founding fathers grouped together freedom of worship and freedom of speech. The US Constitutions First Amendment, adopted in 1791, made sure that the Congress couldnt pass laws establishing religions or prohibiting their free exercise, or abridging freedom of speech, press and assembly.

More recently, both religion and free expression were offered protection by The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR) drafted in 1949. It outlines the ways in which both free expression and religious freedom should be protected in Articles 18 and 19. Article 18 protects an individuals right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion and the freedom to change religion or beliefs. Article 19 states: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Why is it, then, that for centuries from the Spanish Inquisition to the Satanic Verses free speech and religion have been cast as opponents? Index on Censorship has explored, and will continue to explore, this crucial question.

Offence

Muslims gathered in Malaysias capital to protest against the controversial Innocence of Muslims film (Demotix)

Sporadically explosive conflicts arrise when words or images offensive to believers spark a violent response, the most recent example being the reaction to the controversial Innocence of Muslims film. Index has stated before that the majority of states restrain by law distinct and direct incitements to violence; however, causing offence doesnt constitute an incitement to violence, much less a good excuse to react with violence. Yet violent protests sparked by the YouTube film led many countries to push for the video to be taken down. As the controversy unfolded, digital platforms took centre stage in an age-old debate on where the line is drawn on free speech.

The kind of connectivity provided by the web means a video uploaded in California can lead to riots in Cairo. Real-time transmission, real-time unrest. It presents a serious challenge for hosts of user-generated content like YouTube and Facebook.

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Religion and free speech : itâ€™s complicated

From Vietnam To China - Video

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Mar 012013

From Vietnam To China
A sign at a Beijing restaurant barring citizens of nations involved in maritime disputes with China — along with dogs — has triggered a wave of online outrage among Vietnamese and Filipinos. The Beijing Snacks restaurant near the Forbidden City, a popular tourist spot, has posted a sign on its door reading “This shop does not receive the Japanese, the Philippines, the Vietnamese and dog(s).” Photographs of the controversial sign have gone viral in Vietnamese-language forums and featured heavily in Philippine newspapers and websites on Wednesday. Vietnam's state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper ran a story saying the sign had “ignited online fury”. It claimed many Vietnamese feel this is another example of Chinese “extreme nationalism that deserves to be condemned”. “It's not patriotism, it's stupid extremism,” Sy Van wrote in Vietnamese in a comment under the story, published on the paper's website. The sign provoked thousands of posts on Vietnamese social networking sites and newspaper comment threads. “This is teaching hate to the younger generation,” Facebook user Andrea Wanderer wrote in Vietnamese. “The owner of the restaurant has obviously been brainwashed by their government,” added Facebook user Chung Pham. Filipinos greeted the photo with a mixture of fury and amusement. “Blatant racism at Beijing Restaurant,” journalist Veronica Pedrosa wrote in one widely-shared tweet, while Facebook user Rey Garcia used a comment thread on a news site to retort: “Who cares, they …

By: anonamese

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From Vietnam To China – Video

Free Staters told to set clock for 2015

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Feb 242013

NASHUA – The president of the Free State Project announced this weekend she wants the thousands of supporters nationwide who have committed to moving to New Hampshire to begin doing so in two years.

“This is a solution. We want to trigger the move. We know that what we are doing here is incredibly important,” Carla Gericke, one of the leaders of the Free State Project, who moved from New York to New Hampshire in 2008, told participants at the New Hampshire Liberty Forum.

According to its website, the Free State Project has 1,130 participants already living in New Hampshire, with more than 13,700 committed to eventually relocating here. Its plan is to entice more than 20,000 pro-liberty activists to move to the Granite State, with participants pledging to “exert the fullest practical effort toward the creation of a society in which the maximum role of civil government is the protection of life, liberty and property,” says the site.

Based on the current recruiting rate, Gericke said, the pledge total would hit 20,000 in 2018, triggering the large-scale move to New Hampshire. Under that scenario, the goal would be to have all pledgers relocate by 2023.

However, Gericke said she does not want to wait until she is 51 years old to trigger the move.

“I want to do it in the next two years,” she said, explaining the only way to accelerate the move is to begin major fundraising efforts and secure sponsors to help raise about $270,000 – a figure she believes could make the move feasible.

“The most valuable thing you can do is move, and you won’t regret it,” she told those in attendance for the opening ceremony of the New Hampshire Liberty Forum on Friday at the Crowne Plaza. ” … We are building the beacon of liberty for the rest of the world to emulate.”

The $270,000 would help the Free State Project become a 501c3 company. It applied for that status in July 2012, but are waiting for official confirmation. The money would primarily help pay for marketing material, recruiting efforts and a salary for Gericke.

The controversy

Despite the attention the Free State Project is receiving this weekend during the annual forum, there are still opponents of the controversial libertarianism movement. Some elected officials in New Hampshire are critical of members’ efforts, previously voicing suspicion about how Free Staters would actually go about launching political change.

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Free Staters told to set clock for 2015

Hustler publisher Larry Flynt to speak at Syracuse University about First Amendment

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Feb 202013

Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt is scheduled to speak at Syracuse University next month on the First Amendment.

The school announced Monday that the controversial political advocate will be a guest of the Newhouse School’s Tully Center for Free Speech as part of the center’s Distinguished Speakers Series. In a speech titled “Fighting for the First Amendment,” Flynt will speak on Tuesday, March 5 at 5 p.m. in the Schine Student Center’s Goldstein Auditorium.

Admission to the event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available through the Schine Box Office starting Wednesday for students. Remaining tickets will be released to the general public starting Tuesday, Feb. 26.

Flynt, long a controversial figure and free speech advocate, is expected to talk about his numerous legal battles including the famous HUSTLER magazine vs. Jerry Falwell case in 1988. As portrayed by Woody Harrelson in the movie “The People vs. Larry Flynt,” the porn publisher won the decision that found protecting free speech is more important than protecting public figures’ emotions and reputations.

“This year marks the 25th anniversary of that famous case, which is one of the most important free speech cases in our history,” Tully Center director Roy Gutterman says in a press release. “It will be an honor to be able to talk about this case and others with the man who has fought so hard for these First Amendment principles.”

Those attending are invited to follow and participate in the event’s discussion on Twitter through the hashtag #FightingforFirst.

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Hustler publisher Larry Flynt to speak at Syracuse University about First Amendment

Six of Britain's biggest water companies 'use tax havens to avoid paying millions to the Treasury'

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Feb 162013

Claims follow an investigation by lobby group Corporate Watch Water companies accused include Northumbrian, Yorkshire and Thames

By Rupert Steiner

PUBLISHED: 23:27 EST, 14 February 2013 | UPDATED: 07:46 EST, 15 February 2013

Six water companies are accused of exploiting a loophole that wipes out tax due on billions of pounds of loans

Some of Britain’s biggest water companies are controversially using tax havens to avoid paying millions in UK tax, a new investigation claims today.

Six of them, including Northumbrian, Yorkshire and Thames, are accused of exploiting a loophole that wipes out tax due on billions of pounds of loans.

The arrangements have emerged as water regulator OFWAT announced last week that water bills would rise by 3.5pc to an average of 388-a-year per household.

Controversial schemes taken by big firms to slash their tax bills are the centre of attention at the moment after MPs slammed US giants like Google and Starbucks as ‘immoral’.

The government has announced new plans to clamp down on firms who push their revenues abroad out of the grasp of the taxman. They will be prevented from winning lucrative Whitehall contracts.

Companies bidding for government contracts will have to provide details of their tax compliance history, including tax returns that have been judged incorrect, under the draft new rules announced yesterday.

Norway ruling party to back Arctic islands drilling

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Feb 032013

* Seas off Lofoten islands home to world’s largest cod stock

* May hold 1.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent

* Controversial issue to be among top debates of election

OSLO, Jan 31 (Reuters) – Norway’s ruling Labour Party is set

to support oil exploration off a pristine northern archipelago,

bringing to a head controversy over drilling in the Arctic in

the run up to elections this year.

The seas off the Lofoten islands, perched some 200 km (124

miles) north of the Arctic Circle, have unique cold water reefs

and are the spawning grounds of the world’s largest cod stock.

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Norway ruling party to back Arctic islands drilling

Nandy flees Jaipur after FIR against his castiest remarks - Video

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Jan 282013

Nandy flees Jaipur after FIR against his castiest remarks
An FIR was lodged against sociologist and author Ashis Nandy over his controversial remarks at the Jaipur Literary Festival that “most corrupt people come from OBC, SC and ST communities”. Organisers and the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan are to be blamed for the literature festival becoming a soft ground for protests against freedom of literary and intellectual expression.

By: newsexpressonline

Hillary Clinton Faces Down Senate Foreign Relations Panel on Benghazi, Libya

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Jan 242013

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pounds her fist as she testifies on Capitol Hill, Jan. 23, 2013.

Reviewing the events of the deadly September attack in Benghazi, Libya, may have been the focus of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday, but presidential politicking was also on display.

Clinton was at varying times relaxed, emotional, combative, and confident during the more than two hour session before a panel that included former Republican presidential candidate John McCain and two Republican Party rising stars with presidential ambitions, Sens. Rand Paul and Marco Rubio.

A likely 2016 presidential candidate herself, Clinton showed the most fire during an exchange with Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican, who grilled her on why U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice appeared to misrepresent what happening in Libya while appearing on Sunday talk shows soon after the attack.

[RELATED: Top 2016 Presidential Contenders]

“With all due respect, the fact is, we had four dead Americans,” Clinton said, her voice rising to a shout over Johnson’s interjections.

“Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided they’d go kill some Americans? What difference at this point does it make? It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again,” Clinton said.

Watch: Clinton scolds Sen. Johnson:

Though Clinton has denied interest in running for president in 2016, she did her best to keep her options open by making clear she had no role in crafting the talking points Rice used to make her controversial comments or in selecting Rice to go before television cameras on behalf of the administration.

She also repeatedly claimed responsibility for the events in Libya, but tried to refocus senators on what preventive actions could be taken to lower the risk of future events rather than assign blame.

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Hillary Clinton Faces Down Senate Foreign Relations Panel on Benghazi, Libya

‘Lethal Weapon’ actor tells students Second Amendment was intended to preserve slavery

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Jan 192013

Actor and progressive political activist Danny Glover informed a group of students at a Texas A&M University-sponsored event that the Second Amendment was created to put down slave rebellions and subjugate Native Americans.

I dont know if you know the genesis of the right to bear arms, Glover said on Thursday. The Second Amendment comes from the right to protect themselves from slave revolts and from uprisings by Native Americans.

A revolt from people who were stolen from their land or revolt from people whose land was stolen from, thats what the genesis of the Second Amendment is, he added.

That theory that the Second Amendment was included in the Bill of Rights to put down slave rebellions was recently resurrected by bestselling author and radio host Thom Hartmann, who said Virginia wouldnt ratify the Constitution without a guarantee that it would have some way to keep slaves in check.

Campus Reform, which broke the story, reports that the Lethal Weapon and Predator 2 star made the controversial statements at the sixth-annual Martin Luther King Breakfast on Texas A&Ms flagship campus in College Station. Other event sponsors include the office of the president and the athletic department.

At another point during the event, the award-winning actor called the United States a material, a militaristic and, frankly lets call a spade a spade a racist society.

The San Francisco State University graduate (B.A., 1964) also pontificated professorially about the causes and effects of global warming. Later, he called the Occupy movement a reimagining of democracy.

An extensive video of Glovers statements is available on YouTube.

A spokesperson for Texas A&M said that the administration had no prior knowledge that Glover would make such statements.

I had no idea. We really didnt know that topic was coming up, Luke Altendorf, director of the schools Memorial Student Center, told Campus Reform. Someone was asking a question about activism. I think thats where some of that came from.

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‘Lethal Weapon’ actor tells students Second Amendment was intended to preserve slavery

Freedom Square: Crossroads for revival

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Dec 302012

TROY The North Central block of Sixth Avenue between Glen and 101st streets is becoming an oasis in one of the city’s poorest and overlooked neighborhoods.

This isn’t a sudden blossoming, but a slowly evolving effort by the Sanctuary for Independent Media and other groups.

Whether it’s the Collard City Growers community garden at mid-block, the Missing Link AME Zion Church at the corner of 101st Street where North Central and South Lansingburgh meet or the Sanctuary itself, momentum is building to move the neighborhood ahead. Also involved is Troy Bike rescue in the block to the south.

The development of Freedom Square at the northwest corner of 101st Street and Sixth Avenue is the marker for the transformation that started eight years ago when the Sanctuary for Independent Media opened in a Lutheran church that once housed a congregation of Lutherans and later Seventh-day Adventists.

“We came here because it was affordable. We’ve grown and become more involved,” said Steve Pierce, the Sanctuary’s executive director. “Our whole thing is about arts and activism.”

To assist in the development of Freedom Square, the nonprofit organization received a $50,000 Our Town Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in July for its Found Art in North Troy project. The grant was matched by $50,000 the city of Troy paid as a settlement for the Sanctuary’s civil rights lawsuit against the city.

The legal action arose from a March 11, 2008 incident when the center was closed for code violations when it came forward to sporsor the controversial digital art exhibit “Virtual Jihadi” by Wafaa Bilal after Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute backed away from it.

Freedom Square and the related arts projects that will accompany it are viewed as a means of getting residents and the rest of the Capital Region to view the block and by extension, North Central, in a new way. Freedom Square is expected to be completed in the fall of 2013.

“Hopefully through the arts it will become a destination point,” said Branda Miller, the Sanctuary’s arts and education coordinator and a professor of media arts at RPI.

Standing at the corner of Freedom Square, Pierce and Miller, who are husband and wife, are optimistic about what can be achieved in the neighborhood that many people turned their backs on and branded as hopeless.

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Freedom Square: Crossroads for revival

Today's News Anonymous group attack against Westboro Baptist Church 2012 Anonymous organization - Video

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Dec 202012

Today's News Anonymous group attack against Westboro Baptist Church 2012 Anonymous organization
Today's News Anonymous attack against Westboro Baptist Church 2012 Anonymous organization The hacker group Anonymous is back in action. This time they have launched an attack against the controversial Westboro Baptist Church, who have announced plans to picket the funerals of those lost in the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. SiliconANGLE Contributing Editor John Casaretto described Westboro Baptist Church as having a lot of extreme ideologies. He said they tend to gravitate towards what he termed as “shock events” and like to blame these unfortunate situations on what they see as immoral behavior. So far Anonymous has published data about Westboro members, including their names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. Casaretto believes their motive is to discourage WBC from protesting at the school and exacerbating the situation. However, he also feels it's unlikely the retaliation by Anonymous will deter the WBC. In a related action, a petition has been posted to WhiteHouse.org asking President Obama to have Westboro Baptist Church legally recognized as a hate group. While Casasretto doesn't deny the WBC their right to freedom of speech, he acknowledges that their actions are easily categorized as hate group activity. He rationalized, “It's a very hard thing . . . to dance that line between free speech and what's too much.” A member of XDA Developers who goes by the username aleph-zain has discovered a security vulnerability …From:RealNewsTV1Views:0 5ratingsTime:10:23More inNews Politics

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Today’s News Anonymous group attack against Westboro Baptist Church 2012 Anonymous organization – Video

Breaking Analysis: School Shooting Funerals Attract Protesters, Undeterred by Anonymous Retaliation - Video

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Dec 182012

Breaking Analysis: School Shooting Funerals Attract Protesters, Undeterred by Anonymous Retaliation
The hacker group Anonymous is back in action. This time they have launched an attack against the controversial Westboro Baptist Church, who have announced plans to picket the funerals of those lost in the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. SiliconANGLE Contributing Editor John Casaretto described Westboro Baptist Church as having a lot of extreme ideologies. He said they tend to gravitate towards what he termed as “shock events” and like to blame these unfortunate situations on what they see as immoral behavior. So far Anonymous has published data about Westboro members, including their names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. Casaretto believes their motive is to discourage WBC from protesting at the school and exacerbating the situation. However, he also feels it's unlikely the retaliation by Anonymous will deter the WBC. In a related action, a petition has been posted to WhiteHouse.org asking President Obama to have Westboro Baptist Church legally recognized as a hate group. While Casasretto doesn't deny the WBC their right to freedom of speech, he acknowledges that their actions are easily categorized as hate group activity. He rationalized, “It's a very hard thing . . . to dance that line between free speech and what's too much.” A member of XDA Developers who goes by the username aleph-zain has discovered a security vulnerability in several Samsung devices that allows malicious code full access to all physical memory …From:siliconangleViews:139 1ratingsTime:10:23More inScience Technology

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Breaking Analysis: School Shooting Funerals Attract Protesters, Undeterred by Anonymous Retaliation – Video

Religion and free speech: it’s complicated

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Nov 242012

For centuries, free speech and religion have been cast as opponents. Index looks at the complicated relationship between religion and free speech

Offence

Muslims gathered in Malaysias capital to protest against the controversial Innocence of Muslims film (Demotix)

Sporadically explosive conflicts arrise when words or images offensive to believers spark a violent response, the most recent example being the reaction to the controversial Innocence of Muslims film. Most states have laws to control clear and direct incitements to violence; but causing offence is neither an incitement to violence nor a reason to respond with violence. Yet violent protests sparked by the YouTube film led many countries to push for the video to be taken down. As the controversy unfolded, digital platforms took centre stage in an age-old debate on where the line is drawn on free speech.

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Religion and free speech: it’s complicated

Escondido checkpoint settlement may set free-speech standard

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Nov 072012

Escondidos recent settlement of a free speech lawsuit could become a model for how law enforcement agencies across the nation handle protests at traffic safety checkpoints, several attorneys said this week.

The settlement, which was reached last week by Escondido and the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, vindicates free speech rights by establishing that opponents can protest and film the controversial checkpoints.

But the settlement also allows police to prohibit protestors and other people from entering an operational buffer zone police say they need to safely and efficiently conduct the checkpoints, where drivers are stopped and asked to show their licenses and vehicle registrations.

City Attorney Jeff Epp said the settlement, which limits the size of the buffer zone to a maximum of 15 feet, should be held up as a model of compromise between the needs of law enforcement and the importance of government transparency and accountability.

David Loy, legal director for the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties, agreed that the settlement should be viewed as a model.

I would think other law enforcement agencies would look at this case as the right way to respect free speech, Loy said this week.

Other high-profile free speech attorneys agreed.

Eugene Volokh, a law professor at UCLA, said the settlement was the first time a city had addressed the rights of protestors at checkpoints, which have become more common in California and across the nation in recent years.

It sets no legally binding precedent, but I suspect that it might influence future decisions, Volokh said, noting that limiting the police buffer zone to 15 feet could become a model. This could provide a legal roadmap.

Guylyn Cummins, a San Diego attorney focused on media law and First Amendment issues, said the settlement clarifies that police must respect the rights of people who want to observe their work, including the media.

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Escondido checkpoint settlement may set free-speech standard

Separate parole issues from political ones

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Oct 172012

There’s nothing in the First Amendment that says we have to like Mark Basseley Youssef. Or Nakoula Basseley Nakoula. Or Sam Bacile. Or Nicola Bacily.

Those names all appear to apply to the same person, the man behind production of the controversial, crudely done video that has angered Muslims worldwide.

But the 45 words of the First Amendment do require that we protect Youssef’s rights, under whatever name, to express views and hold opinions that others find offensive without fear of being silenced or targeted by the government.

And with much of the world operating under a very different concept — and often under different laws — regarding the scope of free-speech protection, we need to keep in mind that what happens here to unpopular speakers can easily be misunderstood elsewhere by the unknowing, or distorted by the dictatorial.

In Youssef’s case, the novice filmmaker is also a convicted criminal, having pleaded “no contest” in 2010 to a credit-card fraud charge involving the use of fake names. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison, but was released on parole in June 2011 with conditions barring him from accessing the Internet without approval and from using any name other than his legal name.

The video “Innocence of Muslims” portrays Islam’s revered Prophet Muhammad as a religious fraud and sexual deviant. Youssef was arrested last month and charged with lying to federal investigators who in the wake of fatal rioting overseas were looking into production of the video. Prosecutors claim Youssef applied for a passport under one name, applied for a driver’s license under another name, and used a third name in connection with the video.

On Oct. 10, Youssef denied violating his probation conditions. He’s being held without bail because officials fear he’ll flee the U.S., in part to hide from Muslim extremists who have vowed to kill him for his blasphemy.

If prosecutors can prove in court that that Youssef is Nakoula is Bacile or Bacily, the situation would seem fairly straightforward. He violated terms of parole. Back to jail.

But like the very Middle East conflict into which the man has thrust himself, little is “straightforward” about this situation, including his legal predicament and its implications for free expression in the U.S.

Youssef’s prosecution for violating parole conditions seems to have moved extraordinarily quickly in comparison to the usual pace in such cases. Some claim the White House is pushing the case “through the back door” to do what it cannot do openly: punish Youssef for producing a film that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called “disgusting and reprehensible.”

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Separate parole issues from political ones

Proceedings against 'Muslims' filmmaker must walk fine free-speech line

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Oct 132012

By GENE POLICINSKI, FIRST AMENDMENT CENTER | Hernando Today Published: October 13, 2012 Updated: October 13, 2012 – 12:36 PM

There’s nothing in the First Amendment that says we have to like Mark Basseley Youssef. Or Nakoula Basseley Nakoula. Or Sam Bacile. Or Nicola Bacily.

Those names all appear to apply to the same person, the man behind production of the controversial, crudely done video that has angered Muslims worldwide.

And with much of the world operating under a very different concept and often under different laws regarding the scope of free-speech protection, we need to keep in mind that what happens here to unpopular speakers can easily be misunderstood elsewhere by the unknowing, or distorted by the dictatorial.

The video, “Innocence of Muslims” portrays Islam’s revered Prophet Muhammad as a religious fraud and sexual deviant. Youssef was arrested last month and charged with lying to federal investigators who in the wake of fatal rioting overseas were looking into production of the video. Prosecutors claim Youssef applied for a passport under one name, applied for a driver’s license under another name, and used a third name in connection with the video.

If prosecutors can prove in court that that Youssef is Nakoula is Bacile or Bacily, the situation would seem fairly straightforward. He violated terms of parole. Back to jail.

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Proceedings against 'Muslims' filmmaker must walk fine free-speech line

Cities may not screen transit ads by viewpoint

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Oct 082012

Monday, October 8, 2012

A second federal judge has ruled that a metropolitan transit system must accept controversial ads that call for support for Israel and the defeat of jihad.

U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer on Oct. 5 ruled that the Metro system in Washington, D.C., must accept ads that say, In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad. Collyers decision follows a similar ruling by U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer that the New York City subway system must run the ads because their content is protected by the First Amendment.

The two decisions were not surprising, but they do reinforce a core principle of the First Amendment: Governments may not discriminate against viewpoints with which they disagree or which make them uncomfortable. City transportation systems are government entities, and as such, cannot limit freedom of speech. Governments may, however, set guidelines for the content of ads as long as they dont discriminate against opinions. That means a metro system could turn down all nonprofit or political ads, but it must be consistent in rejecting all ads in those categories. It cant pick and choose.

Once government gets into the business of posting political material, it creates a public forum and all who are willing to pay the cost of display have a right to share their views.

Some who have attempted to limit the controversial ads argue that theyre not protected by the First Amendment because they fall under the fighting words exemption particularly given the global unrest caused by the Innocence of Muslims video on YouTube. Under the fighting words doctrine, government can limit speech that is likely to incite immediate violence or retaliation. Thats a very narrow exception and not likely to apply to a printed ad on the wall of a subway station.

Indeed, unlawful reaction to the ads in New York and San Francisco has been limited to some defacing, a fairly common occurrence in major cities regardless of the message.

Abdul Yasar, a New York subway passenger and observant Muslim, told the Associated Press that the ads shouldnt be posted. But then he noted: If this is a free country, they have the right to do this and then Muslims have the right to put up their own ad.

That would mean more speech, not suppressed speech, and no damage to the Constitution.

Tags: advertising, Israel, Muslim, transit ad

FB dark side, in the light

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Sep 062012

Facebook still thinks pedophiles are funny. So today Im going to show you and, more important, Facebooks advertisers some of the other nasty stuff the social-network giant allows to co-exist alongside your childrens profiles.

Readers of this column know that my gripe with Facebook started about two weeks ago when Mark Zuckerbergs company refused to shut down a page on its site titled Pedophiles are people too.

Instead, Facebook allowed the person who posted the page to insert the phrase Controversial Humour in front of the title.

The pedophile page was still up and running on the Facebook site yesterday.

Facebooks manager of public policy, a guy named Andrew Noyes (noyes@fb.com), said the pedophile page did not violate the companys policies.

In general, pages or groups devoted to jokes, even disgusting and distasteful ones do not violate our policies, he said in an e-mail to me.

So Facebook and Mr. Noyes think that pedophilia sex with children, for those of you who arent familiar with the sicker side of humanity is funny.

Heres what one reader had to say about that.

Dear Mr. Crudele: I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for your articles going after both FB and its willing advertisers for not paying attention to the sick Web page that is on the FB site.

I have a different take on this whole thing as I was sexually abused from the time I was 8 to 10 years old. Without boring you with all of the details, I will tell you that it was and still is the most horrific experience anyone can ever imagine.

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FB dark side, in the light

Leaked: The GOP's Proposed New Position On Internet Freedom

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Aug 182012

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., leads a hearing on Capitol Hill.

The Republican party may be ready to take a new position on Internet freedom, according to a document obtained by Whispers.

California Rep. Darrell Issa’s proposal calls for the Republican party to take a stance on the Internet that limits the role of government and allows Americans to “participate where and how they choose on the Internet.”

According to sources familiar with the Republican party platform process, the GOP has been increasingly discussing Internet freedom, and could be ready to officially roll out its stance later this month at the Republican convention.

[Photos:Online SOPAProtests]

Kirsten Kukowski, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, writes in an E-mail that Issa’s is “one submission of many on the subject.”

But don’t expect another showdown between Issa, who favors a lighthanded approach to Internet legislation and Texas Rep. Lamar Smith, who introduced the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), a bill that spurred widespread Internet blackouts and protests earlier this year.

Kim Smith, Lamar Smith’s press secretary, tells Whispers that the Congressman “did not submit any language pertaining to the Internet for the GOP platform.”

[Four ThingsAmericansHave Learned From the SOPAFight]

Sources familiar with ongoing discussions say they are “hopeful” that Issa’s proposal will make it into the final party platform, and that “conversations that have occurred [on Internet freedom] have been well received” and that the Republicans hope “not to over-regulate the Internet.”

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Leaked: The GOP's Proposed New Position On Internet Freedom

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Leaked: The GOP's Proposed New Position On Internet Freedom

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