Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Censorship at University of Ottawa

Ann Coulter, a very controversial conservative speaker, was supposed to talk at the University of Ottawa yesterday, but the talk was cancelled due to apparent threats of violence from people who were opposed to her support of certain acts, such as the murder of specific racial/ethnic groups and abortion providers (an interesting stance for a "pro-life" advocate).

On the CTV morning news, Ezra Levant, a conservative analyst speaking on her behalf, called it censorship. He said that Canada was strong and free, freedom that was being denied by this censorship.

He questioned how they could allow an "anti-Semitic hatefest" for Israeli apartheid week, but not let Coulter speak. I am appalled that he could call apartheid week anti-Semitic or a "hatefest." Granted, I have never been to U of O, but I did participate in anti-apartheid week at my school and found that it was anything but hateful- actually, it advocated for ending an illegal occupancy of Palestinians in Israel. However, I am no expert on this topic and am not able to really discuss this occupancy in any detail.

Speaking of censorship, our school censored emails about Israeli apartheid week, first deleting previously sent emails from the server, then putting out a letter saying that "these announcements do not reflect the views of the department, or the university."

They also refused to send out an email telling students about a book launch for an amazing book written by a former student that criticizes workfare because they do not endorse events that critique the government's welfare system.

But I guess it is only called censorship when it quiets conservative opinions... even those that advocate for murder of people who do not agree.

3 comments:

  1. If Ezra is saying that Ann Coulter does not spew hate and racism let's look at some of her more famous quotes.

    -My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building.

    -Bill Clinton "was a very good rapist".

    -We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity.

    -You know, ok. I made a few jokes — and they killed 3000 Americans. Fair trade.

    -These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by grief-arazzis... These self-obsessed women seemed genuinely unaware that 9/11 was an attack on our nation and acted as if the terrorist attacks happened only to them... I’ve never seen people enjoying their husbands’ deaths so much.

    -Vester: You say you'd rather not talk to liberals at all?
    Coulter: I think a baseball bat is the most effective way these days.

    -I think [women] should be armed but should not vote...women have no capacity to understand how money is earned. They have a lot of ideas on how to spend it...it's always more money on education, more money on child care, more money on day care.

    -It would be a much better country if women did not vote. That is simply a fact. In fact, in every presidential election since 1950 - except Goldwater in '64 - the Republican would have won, if only the men had voted.

    -That was the theme of the Million Mom March: I don't need a brain -- I've got a womb."

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  2. So, women do not have the capacity to understand how money is earned... yet she is a woman and has the capacity to speak on behalf of the world as to how international politics and governments should operate? There is a break in her logic somewhere that I don't quite understand.

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  3. Mark Twain said it best:
    "Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool, than open it and remove all doubt."

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