CENSORSHIP AT THE FOUR

Censorship is very much at the core of today's news, far and near.

Here are 4 stories:

ONE

The University of Victoria Student Society will not allow Canadian Forces to be present at a career fair. Or, unfair.

This speaks volumes about how far our armed forces have fallen in the public heart, how spoiled and out-of-touch are too many young people, and how ignorant these students are of the very central purpose of a "higher education."

An appalling decision. Based entirely on fear and ignorance.

TWO

The BC Teachers' Federation has pulled 40,000 copies of its own newsletter because it doesn't like one of the articles written by their own editor.

All articles are supposed to be vetted by the BCTF President. Now, the entire magazine will have to be first vetted by El Presidente.

Can you say, "Petty Dictatorship, Oligarchy, Totalitarianism, Boys and Girls?"

Remember that these enlightened soul claim to be teachers of your children.

BCTF might want to consider renaming itself as Teachers For Censorship. Their value statement could be, "Remember, kids, there's nothing you can create that we won't veto."

Can you say, "Anal, Dr. Freud?"

THREE

Mahmoud the Maniac made his speech at Columbia yesterday.

The President of Columbia University, Lee Bollinger, did two very interesting things.

One the one hand, he stood firm in his decision to allow Mushmouth the platform, saying, "the nation needs the intellectual and emotional courage to confront the mind of evil."

On the other, he introduced Muckraker thus, "Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a cruel and petty dictator. Today, I feel all the wight of the modern civilized world yearning to express the revulsion in what you stand for."

If I were in his position, I might not have allowed Madpants to speak in the first place, BUT...I salute Mr. Bollinger (pictured above) for both actions.

FOUR

The Sun editorial is right in defending free speech in the case of Bruce Allen and in noting that the subject of the integration of immigrants in Canadian society is a thorny one and necessary as part of our on-going national conversation.

But they have missed a huge point.

Mr. Allen should be dismissed, as should most of the so-called "management" team for bringing the level of discourse down to a bar brawl. Coarse, name-calling, race-baiting, simplistic in the extreme, without shading of any kind and unmindful of the truth that God and the devil are in the details.

Channel 6 in Victoria is now E! No longer a local station involved in its community, but a mindless dispenser of non-stop show biz bullshit and titillation.

This is where broadcasting has gone.

We are all the poorer for it.