| RotoGuru Politics Forum View the Forum Registry XML Get RSS Feed for this thread | Self-edit this thread |
|
| 0 |
Subject: Political "Freedom" around the world Posted by: Myboyjack - [06141920] Tue, Nov 09, 2004, 16:58 I just want a place to catch all the crap. We had a thread that discussed free speech issues in Canada but i can't seem to find it. Belgium court effectivle outlaws most popular political party in Flanders The ruling means the Blok will lose access to state funding and access to television which will, in effect, shut down the party. | |||||||
[Lengthy or complex threads may require a slight delay before updating.] | ||||||||
| 300 | Boxman ID: 40240265 Sun, Mar 26, 2006, 16:24 |
Sarge: "IMHO bear little difference from those maniacal leaders of 14th and 15th century Christianity." Specifically the Pope and to a lesser extent his archbishops and those who carried the tithing carts around the towns, but yes go ahead. "To "change their tunes", means surrendering that power." Bingo. Back to wall, gone. What a terrifying concept it must be to all the Wahhabis-like madman and other radical clerics to allow Muslims truly free thought. You're not a religious man and that's fine. I am. I can tell you that perhaps it is hundreds of years of Christian (Martin Luther inspired revolution although I am not a Lutheran.) evolution that have led to this. Now I'm not saying that Christianity is without it's present day barbarism (Pat "Killer" Robertson calling for Chavez's capping. Even though Chavez is a grade-A butthead and could one day wind up with a 9mm hollow point sized hole in his noggin courtesy of the Marines, I don't recall Christ calling for the murder of heads of state.), but it's nothing like Islam. "I think it took a century or even abit longer, for the Bishops, Archbishops et al, to loose their deathgrip over western society." Gotta dust off the history book on this one, but can anyone tell me what drove that? This change came way before globalization and worldwide free markets. Was it King Henry in England and his feud with the Pope? I wonder how much of it was the clergy losing that deathgrip versus the populace's waking to the idea that the original standards beset by the Pope (in my opinion) versus Jesus Christ (the true messenger of God) were something that normal men could never live up to. Ever read the Bible or listen to an old school priest preach doctrine? There's some hardcore stuff in there. My religion is pretty hardcore at times, but I realize that only Christ is perfect and I just do the best that I can. This entire problem of the Middle East versus West can all be boiled down to religion. Even more so than oil because if Islam was 100% tolerant of Christianity and vice versa, we could all hammer out the madness in there and the panic attacks of the world oil markets would subside. But then we gotta argue whose God is better, which prophet makes the better BBQ, or some crazy rules which wind up with both sides breaking God's Law of not killing everybody. "I doubt the evolution of the Muslim society, will be much shorter." We don't have that much time. Gotta bust out the Cliff's Notes on this one and wrap it up ASAP before we murder each other. With nukular weapons, all it takes is one crazy Muslim with a suitcase bomb and goodbye London or Paris (God forbid, New York.) and then you watch it really hit the fan. You will see Iran, Syria or one of those countries glow in a hurry and then it'll end with all of us dead. Our one saving grace on this could be that the world is much more interconnected now that it ever has been and perhaps that could speed up the blending our cultures. | ||||||
| 301 | Myboyjack Dude ID: 014826271 Sun, Mar 26, 2006, 16:30 |
of ocurse I recall that phrase PD. And its origin? Was it not directly reference the then current practice of stoning an adultress? Um, yes, sarge. A practice that was oppossed by Christians - not practiced by them. | ||||||
| 302 | Boxman ID: 40240265 Sun, Mar 26, 2006, 16:37 |
Here's what the Bible says, pretty massive posting so I'll just provide the linkage. Stoning in the Bible | ||||||
| 303 | Myboyjack ID: 27651610 Wed, May 10, 2006, 12:57 |
In The Netherlands, under the EU accord on Human Right, you have the right to be a spineless chickensh!+, but apparently, not the right to live in an apartment free from death threats. Here's the deal: It concerns one of the more amazing people alive, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a former Somali refugee who refused to live in virtual slavery under sharia, immigrated, eventually, to Holland, got an education and is now, incredibly, an elected MP. She has spoken out forcefully and eloquently against radical Islam and especially its violence and injustices against women immigrants in her adopted country. As a reward there have been numerous death threats made against her. Here's where the courage of the Dutch people shines through: After being forced into hiding by fascist killers, Ayaan Hirsi Ali found that the Dutch government and people were slightly embarrassed to have such a prominent "Third World" spokeswoman in their midst. She was first kept as a virtual prisoner, which made it almost impossible for her to do her job as an elected representative. When she complained in the press, she was eventually found an apartment in a protected building. Then the other residents of the block filed suit and complained that her presence exposed them to risk. In spite of testimony from the Dutch police, who assured the court that the building was now one of the safest in all Holland, a court has upheld the demand from her neighbors and fellow citizens that she be evicted from her home. In these circumstances, she is considering resigning from parliament and perhaps leaving her adopted country altogether. This is not the only example that I know of a supposedly liberal society collaborating in its own destruction, but I hope at least that it will shame us all into making The Caged Virgin a best seller. The Hague Court's decision, grounded upon the EU Cnstituiton's "Human Rights" guarantees, states, more or less, that the right of the other apartment dwellers to be free from the agravation and hassle of having a hero for freedom live in their midst trumps any right Ms. Ali might have to live in an apartment in the country she serves with some modicum of protection for her life. Were I Dutch, I would not be proud to be associated with such people as live in that apartment building or sit on that Court. | ||||||
| 304 | biliruben Leader ID: 589301110 Wed, May 10, 2006, 13:07 | That blows. | ||||||
| 305 | Toral ID: 541029611 Tue, May 16, 2006, 18:12 | More on Ayaan Hirsi Ali. | ||||||
| 306 | Seattle Zen ID: 46315247 Tue, May 16, 2006, 18:43 | Pathetic! I can only hope that a few Dutch take to the streets. | ||||||
| 307 | sarge33rd ID: 2511422414 Tue, May 16, 2006, 23:06 |
Saudi King cracks down on photos of women in the Saudi press Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, under pressure from Islamists to curb reforms, has warned local media against showing pictures of Saudi women, local newspapers reported on Tuesday. | ||||||
| 308 | Madman ID: 230542010 Wed, May 17, 2006, 08:24 |
sarge33rd -- yeah, I saw that. But did you see the edict a few days before that actually considered allowing women to sell lingerie to other women? A big moral victory for women in the workplace. Of course, they are thinking about doing that because of their principle of "separation of women from men" in public, but you take progress where you can get it. link Oh yeah, and for you hardline Sunni Muslims out there, don't worry. Larger shops will have separate entrances for men and women, and windows will be blacked out or covered so that people on the outside can't look in. | ||||||
| 309 | Madman ID: 230542010 Wed, May 17, 2006, 08:27 | I'm not entirely sure about the link in my 308 ... here's the original Reuters: Reuters. | ||||||
| 310 | sarge33rd ID: 2511422414 Sat, May 20, 2006, 09:10 |
and here at home too The city's council drummed up support for the measure by citing studies on second-hand smoke, although critics question the validity of the research, especially on the dangers of second-hand smoke in outside areas. But the state of California's Air Resources Board has now adopted a regulation that classifies second-hand smoke as a toxic pollutant. "Like the kinds of things that come out of petroleum smokestacks and out of the tailpipes of cars," Calabasas city attorney Michael Colantuono told a local paper. "That decision is the first time a state regulatory agency of any state in the nation has reached that conclusion." Can we say.....bullshit!? | ||||||
| 311 | Myboyjack Dude ID: 014826271 Fri, Oct 06, 2006, 21:18 | They have no right to be able to speak here.: Quote by student activist at Columbia after helping organize other liberal students in a Brown Shirt imitation, preventing some conservative speaker presentation. | ||||||
| 312 | Tree ID: 54941617 Fri, Oct 06, 2006, 22:24 | yep, protest is anti-american. | ||||||
| 313 | Myboyjack Dude ID: 014826271 Fri, Oct 06, 2006, 22:31 | Did you watch the video, tree? Protest is American. Assaulting those who have a different opinion than to prevent tham from speaking you is what? | ||||||
| 314 | Tree ID: 54941617 Fri, Oct 06, 2006, 22:34 | they didn't assault him. they rushed the stage. | ||||||
| 315 | Myboyjack Dude ID: 014826271 Fri, Oct 06, 2006, 22:39 |
You didn't watch, just say so. He was knocked to the ground, the podium fell on top of him. Punches were thrown by the "stadium rushers" From the news account, his glasses were smashed. But for the sake of arguement, you think that rushing the stage and physically preventing others from making a speech is all good in the name of "protest"? So, whichever side employs the baddest thugs..er..."protestors" wins. Yep, Brown Shirts. Nice "free exchnge" of ideas you have in mind there. | ||||||
| 316 | Perm Dude ID: 50949610 Fri, Oct 06, 2006, 22:53 | I saw a bit of that video. Pretty clear anti-speech mob. | ||||||
| 317 | Tree ID: 54941617 Fri, Oct 06, 2006, 23:00 |
e was knocked to the ground, the podium fell on top of him. Punches were thrown by the "stadium rushers" i did watch. i didn't see that. i recollect him standing there, looking bewildered. but i'll watch again. | ||||||
| 318 | Tree ID: 54941617 Fri, Oct 06, 2006, 23:40 | honestly, i didn't see that. 1:15 into the video, long after the initial rush, the podium is still standing. | ||||||
| 319 | Myboyjack Dude ID: 014826271 Sat, Oct 07, 2006, 00:07 |
It must have been reset. 26 seconds into the video, it's down and the speaker is getting up. (along with the chairs that the panel was sitting on) Regardless, you really want to defend this thuggery - if they didn't push the podium onto the speaker, it's OK. You agree with the organizer, who said: "They have no right to speak here" Honestly, I really didn't think my post about this fiasco would prompt comment, much less a defender. If a pro-immigrant panel was trying to give a presentation and the "Minutemen" rushed the stage, knocked over the podium, tables and chairs and forced the speakers from stage, I suppose you'd call that good ol' fashion American protest. Right. | ||||||
| 320 | Tree ID: 2094875 Sat, Oct 07, 2006, 08:14 |
MBJ - i have to say i'm still not seeing it on that clip. that being said, NY1 had it on the news this morning, with a different angle and much more clarity than the posted clip. i still didn't see him get knocked down, but it was clear that the protesters tried to do a bit more than shout him down. i've got no problem with them storming the stage and being louder than he is. but, when it comes to knocking down the podium and physically accosting the speakers, that's another story. the focus of the NY1 report was that apparently Columbia has has this problem before, and that even if they know there is a potentially volatile situation, they don't seem to be adquetely prepared, security-wisde. Mayor Bloomberg slammed the university, and it's president Lee Bollinger. “Universities are supposed to be where you can express your views no matter how distasteful they may be to somebody,” said Bloomberg. “And from what I read in the paper, once again, Bollinger’s has to get his hands around this.” | ||||||
| 321 | Pancho Villa ID: 366352418 Sat, Oct 07, 2006, 09:39 |
i've got no problem with them storming the stage and being louder than he is Are you serious? | ||||||
| 322 | Perm Dude ID: 50949610 Sat, Oct 07, 2006, 10:41 |
I think so. Tree is a shouter, and democracy, for him, is sometimes about who is loudest. Mob rule, in other words, for the things he believes in. | ||||||
| 323 | Tree ID: 3991079 Sat, Oct 07, 2006, 11:13 |
the last decade of politics in this nation has been about who has been the loudest. the left has sat idly by, while the right has screamed, shouted, and forced their way into every aspect of American life. sometimes, you have to fight fire with fire. | ||||||
| 324 | Perm Dude ID: 50949610 Sat, Oct 07, 2006, 11:35 |
Sure, if you want to get burned. The race to the bottom never gets a winner. If you lack the ability to articulate a vision, stand aside. | ||||||
| 325 | Tree ID: 3991079 Sat, Oct 07, 2006, 12:12 |
If you lack the ability to articulate a vision, stand aside. and while you're standing aside, the other guy takes control, and wresting it back is even more difficult. | ||||||
| 326 | Perm Dude ID: 50949610 Sat, Oct 07, 2006, 12:33 |
A race to the bottom, then. Yeah, that's the way to do it: Poorly imitate Republicans through your own reaction of what you think happened. You ever think that people started voting Republican party because Democrats tend to get shrill? So your response: More shrill, please! | ||||||
| 327 | Seattle Zen ID: 46315247 Sat, Oct 07, 2006, 13:52 | There is a time and place for storming the stage, for civil disobediance, for shouting down, but the marketplace of ideas is not it. | ||||||
| 329 | Mattinglyinthehall ID: 374522815 Fri, Nov 10, 2006, 00:21 |
Here's one the MSM mostly passed over: Guardian Unlimited Monday - Riots in Jerusalem over Gay Pride March For several days ultra-Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem and elsewhere have attacked police officers, burned rubbish bins and blocked off roads in an attempt to halt the parade. Six policemen have been injured and 60 rioters arrested in the past week.Today the Parade was cancelled - CBS Organizers Thursday canceled Friday's Gay Pride parade in Jerusalem, and instead plan to hold a civil rights demonstration in a single location. They cited the 12,000 police needed for security —Ultra-Orthodox Jews had threatened a massive riot if the parade were held — when there are concrete terror threats. That provided "an honorable way to climb down from the tree," says BergerI learned of it today because the Central Rabbinical Congress of the United States and Canada staged a protest outside of the East Side building my wife works in, very close to the UN. Here's their press release from Wednesday. They claimed to expect 250,000. She said the size of the crowd was overwhelming but obviously if it was that big I wouldn't be having so much trouble finding news about it. | ||||||
| 330 | Tree ID: 21044105 Fri, Nov 10, 2006, 06:48 |
Here's one the MSM mostly passed over: FWIW, CNN.com had something on it yesterday, but it was a video only. i pretty much hate when religious zealots force their views on others. i hope the march goes on as scheduled. | ||||||
| 331 | Boldwin ID: 189102715 Fri, Nov 10, 2006, 06:57 |
They claimed to expect 250,000. She said the size of the crowd was overwhelming but obviously if it was that big I wouldn't be having so much trouble finding news about it. - MITH LOL, who is your wife supposed to believe, the MSM or her own lying eyes? It couldn't be that the MSM would play down anything that runs counter to the PC agenda? | ||||||
| 332 | Mattinglyinthehall ID: 374522815 Fri, Nov 10, 2006, 07:26 |
LOL, who is your wife supposed to believe, the MSM or her own lying eyes? MSM didn't make the claim. It came straight from the Rabbinical Congress in their own advisory. Further, if you insist on shooting the messenger, MSM didn't run it. I linked the only place I could find it - Christian News Wire. Keep feeling around, you're bound to trip over an acorn soon enough. | ||||||
| 333 | Mattinglyinthehall ID: 374522815 Fri, Nov 10, 2006, 07:32 |
It couldn't be that the MSM would play down anything that runs counter to the PC agenda? I'm sorry, from reading your posts over the years I thought it was very much part of the MSM's agenda to prop up anti-homosexual stories and keep Israel looking bad. This one had all the elements - gays denied an expression of speech, rioting prompted by the religious orthodoxy. Based on your views this one is MSM's dream come true. Must have been a pinecone. Keep feeling around. | ||||||
| 334 | Mattinglyinthehall ID: 374522815 Fri, Nov 10, 2006, 07:34 |
Tree i hope the march goes on as scheduled. The cancelleation was announced yesterday. | ||||||
| 335 | Mattinglyinthehall ID: 374522815 Fri, Nov 10, 2006, 08:18 |
I should add that she and I work in the same neighborhood. She's on 2nd Ave btwn 42nd & 43rd sts (across the street from the Israeli Consulate, which is at the UN HQ), I'm on 3rd btwn 39th and 40th. Working this close to the UN for the past 8 years and with both Governor Pataki's NYC office and the Iranian Mission within 150 yards, I've seen plenty of protesting in the area. I know there's no way there could have been anything like a quarter-million protestors on the next block without everyone in my building knowing about it. | ||||||
| 336 | Tree ID: 1411442914 Fri, Nov 10, 2006, 08:44 |
The cancelleation was announced yesterday. yea, i actually realized that after i posted, then had to dash off to work. now, it's on the front page of Yahoo... and give Baldie a break. the dude must be in a daze as he realizes that the party he rabid supports has slipped from the mainstream so badly and so quickly, and now it's like he's wandering, lost in the desert. | ||||||
| 337 | Myboyjack Dude ID: 014826271 Sat, Nov 25, 2006, 17:19 | With love from WalMart's favorite trading partner. | ||||||
| 338 | Myboyjack ID: 8216923 Sat, Sep 08, 2007, 21:28 |
OSU couldn't win the national championship; however they do have one superlative: Ilegal speech code of the month The Office of University Housing at Ohio State, a public university, maintains a Diversity Statement that severely restricts what students in Ohio State’s residence halls can and cannot say. Students are instructed: “Do not joke about differences related to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, ability, socioeconomic background, etc.” Of the many hundreds of policies FIRE has catalogued over the years, this is the first that flatly instructs students, “do not joke” about controversial topics. As anyone who has ever lived in a dormitory can likely attest, dorms are where some of the freest and most frank discussions among college students take place. And some of those discussions will almost certainly include—gasp!—jokes about controversial topics such as race, ethnicity, and yes, possibly even ability. It was my own personal experience that in my very diverse residence hall freshman year, humor—sometimes even quite offensive humor—was a common ground that brought together and forged friendships among people of very different backgrounds. But rather than embrace the type of frank expression that often characterizes college student communication—expression that can indeed lead to offense but can also lead to friendships based on greater understanding—Ohio State has chosen to squelch it in favor of a superficially polite and politically correct environment. Not only is that an unfortunate choice, it is also one that, at a public university like Ohio State, violates students’ constitutional right to free speech. There is no exception to the First Amendment for ethnic jokes or dumb blonde jokes. The Diversity Statement also contains another, quite cryptic, prohibition: “Words, actions, and behaviors that inflict or threaten infliction of bodily or emotional harm, whether done intentionally or with reckless disregard, are not permitted.” Could anyone at Ohio State actually explain what this prohibition means? How exactly does one threaten to inflict emotional harm? Would that mean shouting, “Hey you! Get out of here or I’m going to hurt your feelings…”? The problem with a prohibition like this one is that it is unconstitutionally vague. The Supreme Court has held that to avoid vagueness, a regulation must “give the person of ordinary intelligence a reasonable opportunity to know what is prohibited, so that he may act accordingly.” Grayned v. City of Rockford, 408 U.S. 104, 108 (1972). It is safe to say that no reasonable person can figure out exactly what this sentence prohibits. For these reasons, The Ohio State University is our September 2007 Speech Code of the Month. If you believe that your college or university should be a Speech Code of the Month, please email speechcodes@thefire.org with a link to the policy and a brief description of why you think attention should be drawn to this code. | ||||||
| 339 | Pancho Villa ID: 47161721 Sun, Sep 09, 2007, 23:31 |
Freedom - Turkish Style DIYARBAKIR,(Northern Kurdistan): Turkish authorities have arrested nine members of a pro-Kurdish political party for referring to Kurdish separatist rebels as “martyrs”, security sources said on Sunday. The nine are members of the Democratic Society Party (DTP),which campaigns for more political and cultural rights for Turkey’s large ethnic Kurdish minority. The DTP won 20 seats in Turkey’s parliament in July general elections. If convicted, they could face several years in jail under Turkey’s penal code for praising and supporting terrorism. | ||||||
| 341 | Pancho Villa ID: 47161721 Fri, Nov 16, 2007, 22:17 |
Turkish authorities seek to ban main Kurdish party : ANKARA (AFP) - Turkish prosecutors on Friday started action to ban the main pro-Kurdish political party in Turkey, which has been accused of colluding with Kurdish rebels. Supreme Court prosecutors asked the Constitutional Court to ban the Democratic Society Party (DTP), according to court documents. The DTP was founded in 2005 and has its origins in another pro-Kurd party which was also ordered to disband because of alleged links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). "The party in question has become a base for activities which aim at the independence of the state and its indivisible unity," said the prosecution application, quoted in a Supreme Court statement. The legal action came amid heightened tensions with Iraq caused by Turkey's threat to launch cross border attacks on PKK bases. DTP deputy Sirri Sakik, and a militant Kurd activist, said the action by the authorities was "not really a surprise". "It is a step backwards in the country's democratic process as well as the process of integration with the European Union," Sakik told AFP. "Turkey is becoming a cemetery of banned political parties. Closing a group does not resolve the problem," he added. | ||||||
| 342 | sarge33rd ID: 99331714 Sat, Nov 17, 2007, 15:40 |
Saudi court ups punishment for rape VICTIM and these are our "allies"???? *cough cough* A court in Saudi Arabia increased the punishment for a gang-rape victim after her lawyer won an appeal of the sentence for the rapists, the lawyer told CNN. The 19-year-old victim was sentenced last year to 90 lashes for meeting with an unrelated male, a former friend from whom she was retrieving photographs. The seven rapists, who abducted the pair and raped both, received sentences ranging from 10 months to five years in prison. The victim's attorney, Abdulrahman al-Lahim, contested the rapists' sentence, contending there is a fatwa, or edict under Islamic law, that considers such crimes Hiraba (sinful violent crime) and the punishment should be death. "After a year, the preliminary court changed the punishment and made it two to nine years for the defendants," al-Lahim said of the new decision handed down Wednesday. "However, we were shocked that they also changed the victim's sentence to be six months in prison and 200 lashes." The judges more than doubled the punishment for the victim because of "her attempt to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media," according to a source quoted by Arab News, an English-language Middle Eastern daily newspaper. Judge Saad al-Muhanna from the Qatif General Court also barred al-Lahim from defending his client and revoked his law license, al-Lahim said. The attorney has been ordered to attend a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Justice next month. | ||||||
| 343 | Seattle Zen ID: 529121611 Sat, Nov 17, 2007, 16:03 |
So you would like to enter or leave England. Please answer the following FIFTY THREE questions. Wow, now that would qualify as "getting all up in my business". Travellers face price hikes and confusion after the Government unveiled plans to take up to 53 pieces of information from anyone entering or leaving Britain. Personally, I love #45: Any other biographical information. Hey, come measure it yourself! | ||||||
| 344 | Myboyjack ID: 8216923 Fri, Jan 04, 2008, 14:00 |
If the UN were anything other than a sad farce this would likely deserve its own thread... UN passes resolution against ideas States to provide, within their respective legal and constitutional systems, adequate protection against acts of hatred, discrimination, intimidation and coercion resulting from defamation of religions, to take all possible measures to promote tolerance and respect for all religions and their value systems and to complement legal systems with intellectual and moral strategies to combat religious hatred and intolerance. Eugene Volokh points out ... "[U]niversal respect for all religious and cultural values"? Surely this is patently impossible, and in fact contradicted within the same resolution by a provision that says, "Urges States to ensure equal access to education for all, in law and in practice, including access to free primary education for all children, both girls and boys, and access for adults to lifelong learning and education based on respect for human rights, diversity and tolerance, without discrimination of any kind, and to refrain from any legal or other measures leading to racial segregation in access to schooling." Holy war against nonbelievers is a religious value. Racial segregation is to some a religious value and to some a cultural value. Lesser education for girls than boys is to some a cultural value that is at least imbued with religious tradition. True, they are bad religious and cultural values — but unless one redefines "religious and cultural values" to mean "good religious and cultural values," they surely are religious and cultural values. So either the statement is patently impossible, or (if one does redefine the phrase the way I alluded to) tautological and thus lacking in meaning. But I suppose meaning is too much to expect in this context. | ||||||
| 345 | Myboyjack ID: 8216923 Tue, May 20, 2008, 13:41 |
London teen faces criminal prosecution for stating his opinion that Scientology is a cult. Writing on an anti-Scientology website, the teenager facing court said: "I brought a sign to the May 10th protest that said: 'Scientology is not a religion, it is a dangerous cult.' "'Within five minutes of arriving I was told by a member of the police that I was not allowed to use that word, and that the final decision would be made by the inspector." A policewoman later read him section five of the Public Order Act and "strongly advised" him to remove the sign. The section prohibits signs which have representations or words which are threatening, abusive or insulting. The teenager refused to back down, quoting a 1984 high court ruling from Mr Justice Latey, in which he described the Church of Scientology as a "cult" which was "corrupt, sinister and dangerous". After the exchange, a policewoman handed him a court summons and removed his sign. | ||||||
| 346 | Pancho Villa ID: 47161721 Mon, Jun 23, 2008, 22:24 |
Kurdish Children Face Prison in Turkey....for singing By Sarah Rainsford BBC News, Istanbul June 19, 2008 Members of a Kurdish children's choir face up to five years in prison as they go on trial in Turkey. The choir - whose members are aged from 12 to 17 - is accused of spreading propaganda for the outlawed Kurdish guerrilla group, the PKK. The charges were brought after the group took part in a world music festival in San Francisco, and sang a march in Kurdish. The prosecutor's indictment claims the song is the anthem of the PKK. In a statement on the case, Amnesty International argues that singing an historic anthem cannot be judged a threat to public order - and is therefore a matter of free expression. It warns that the children will be considered prisoners of conscience if they are found guilty. The children's choir performed in America in several languages, but it is a march in Kurdish that has caused the controversy. The prosecutor claims the song "Ey Raqip", or "Hey, Enemy", is the anthem of the PKK: the separatist militant group Turkish troops have been fighting for two decades. The indictment also says PKK flags were displayed at the music festival - and accuses the children of making propaganda for "terrorists". One of the singers told the BBC the lyrics to the march were in an old form of Kurdish, and he and his friends did not even understand them. He said the choir wanted to showcase Kurdish culture, not engage in politics - and they only sang the march in response to a request from the audience. Three teenagers - aged 15 to 17 - will be tried in an adult, serious crimes court in Diyarbakir - in the mainly Kurdish south east of the country. | ||||||
| 347 | Myboyjack Dude ID: 014826271 Fri, Sep 12, 2008, 14:42 | Italian comedienne faced years in prison for saying really mean things about the Pope | ||||||
| 348 | Perm Dude ID: 154552311 Mon, Jul 13, 2009, 18:54 | New Irish law has a provision to fine people 25000 Euros for criticizing religion. | ||||||
| 349 | Boldwin ID: 26451820 Mon, Jul 13, 2009, 22:45 | That's just amazing. It obviously will have a huge impact on my people. Amazing given the timing. Globalists are becoming more antagonistic to religion not more protective. Perhaps this was a reaction to that. Researching... | ||||||
| 350 | Boldwin ID: 26451820 Mon, Jul 13, 2009, 22:50 |
Also wow...from MBJ's link...Mr Berlusconi, who owns Italy's three main commercial television channels and as Prime Minister also wields influence over RAI, the state broadcaster, has been accused by the Left of using his media power to muzzle critics and satirists.I can't believe there isn't more outrage that a leader would have that kind of media monopoly power. | ||||||
| 351 | Boldwin ID: 609622 Sun, Jan 06, 2013, 23:09 | Equador, designated top nation for U.S., Canadian retirees. | ||||||
| If you believe a recent post violates the policy on Civility and Respect, you may report the abuse via email to moderators@rotoguru1.com | ||||||||
| ||||||||
Post a reply to this message: Political | ||||||||