On Wikileaks

Here are some recent articles on Wikileaks that are worth reading. Glenn Greenwald: The WikiLeaks disclosure has revealed not only numerous government secrets, but also the driving mentality of major factions in our political and media class.  Simply put, there are few countries in the world with citizenries and especially media outlets more devoted to [...]

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On United States vs Stevens and the future of the obscenity law

In a huge victory for free speech, the Supreme Court of the US today struck down a law that banned recording, possession or distribution of videos featuring animal cruelty. The Supreme Court concluded that as written, the statute is overbroad and limits all sorts of speech that the Court believes is protected by the First [...]

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France does not heart Scientology

I think that Scientology is a creepy, over-commercialized enterprise that feeds on people’s irrationality and does not do any good to anyone. In fact, I think the same about all religions and most quasi-religions. But what was it that a great Frenchman said once? I do not agree with what you say but I will [...]

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British diplomat arrested for racial rant

The diplomat, 47-year-old Rowan Laxton, allegedly shouted “f***ing Israelis, f***ing Jews” while watching television reports of the Israeli attack on Gaza last month. He is also alleged to have said that Israeli soldiers should be “wiped off the face of the Earth” during the rant at the London Business School gym near Regents Park on [...]

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Where are the demonstrations for liberty?

The Mumbai terror attacks were remarkable, not just for their audacity and horrifying elements, but also for the spontaneous reaction it elicited from the public. Citizens across India demonstrated in massive numbers and expressed their outrage against terrorists and politicians. There were posters and sloguns and an atmosphere of common purpose. The numbers were massive, [...]

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Australia joins China in censoring the internet

Eugene Volokh has a thoughtful post about the matter. There’s not much I need to add. A sad day for freedom.

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The slippery slope effect of hate-speech laws

David Bernstein has a fine post where he explains the perils of having ‘reasonable restriction on free speech’ such as hate speech laws: When I was in law school, advocates of weakening First Amendment protections to restrict “hate speech” pointed to Canada as a shining example of how egregious expression could be banned without threatening [...]

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Bhajji dragged to court for Ravana act

Here’s the link. The following sequence occured in an alternate universe that I would love to belong to: Judge: Before I ask for the other evidence I would like to ask you a question that I always do; what was, in summary fashion, the intent and purpose of the Ravana dance that you did with [...]

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Porn producer sent to prison for four years

Andrew Sullivan’s comment on the Paul Little case is bang on the money: Consensual adult sado-masochistic porn? So obscene you can put someone away for nearly four years. Actual sadism and actual torture? You get legal immunity if you do it at the behest of the president of the United States. Here’s Glenn Greenwald’s excellent [...]

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Political correctness is degenerating into farce

… says Quirky Indian. I agree.

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First Amendment survey

This survey reveals everything that is wrong with the the state of freedom in the US. Some highlights: 42% believe that people should NOT be allowed to say things in public that are offensive to certain religious groups. 54% believe that people should NOT be allowed to say things in public that are offensive to [...]

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John Stagliano on Reason TV

I highly recommend the two part interview, embedded below, of pornographer John Stagliano with Reason TV. Stagliano, who has been mentioned previously in this blog, faces obscenity charges that could send him to prison for the rest of his life. He is a libertarian and a contributer to Reason Foundation.

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Talking of free speech…

This is how it looks in one of the most liberal cities of the most free country in the world. (Hat Tip: The Agitator)

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Obama seeks to silence attack ad

The Obama campaign’s response to the nasty and misleading Ayers ad is highly disappointing in its own way. Barack Obama is striking back fiercely and swiftly to stamp out an ad that links him to a 1960s radical, eager to demonstrate a far more aggressive response to attacks than John Kerry did when faced with [...]

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Indian government plays moral police again

Watch the ad first. It’s yummy. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting of India has written to the Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF) asking it to make sure this advertisement is not broadcast any more, terming it indecent, vulgar and repulsive. I have long believed that of all the useless appendages of the Indian government, the one [...]

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