Wednesday laughs

Today’s NewsBusted, hosted by Jodi Miller:

 

 

Technorati tags: NewsBusted, Newsbusters, Jodi Miller, comedy, news

General Assembly to free speech: drop dead

Given that the UN General Assembly is now passing resolutions that violate not only the rights we hold to be universal and inalienable -in this case, the 1st amendment- but also violate the UN’s own Declaration of Human Rights…

Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,….

…and…

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, then, are we still a member of an organization that votes overwhelmingly to suppress free speech and ban any criticism of religion, by which, of course, they mean Islam?

UN-acceptable censorship: The United Nations tries to outlaw criticism of Islam

By Floyd Abrams

Wednesday, January 14th 2009, 4:00 AM

Almost 500 years ago, on the wall of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses, characterizing as "madness" the notion that papal pardons could absolve individuals for their sins. As viewed from Rome, Luther had maligned, even defamed, the church. Luther was eventually excommunicated. His conduct ultimately led to the creation of a Protestant Church in Germany and a Reformation throughout Europe.

It is difficult to believe that in the 21st century anyone would seriously propose that conduct such as Luther’s should be deemed illegal. But a few weeks ago, the General Assembly of the United Nations took a giant step in that direction. It adopted – for the fourth straight year – a resolution prepared by the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference calling upon all UN nations to adopt legislation banning the "defamation" of religion. Spurred by the Danish cartoons of 2005, some of which portrayed the Prophet Muhammed in a manner deemed offensive by the OIC, the resolution was opposed by the United States, most European nations, Japan, India and a number of other nations.

Nonetheless, it has now been adopted.

And don’t tell me "It’s only a General Assembly resolution and thus has no legal force." it still represents the will of the majority of members, and it is one large step along the road of eroding those political liberties Western civilization spent centuries developing. If the OIC and their authoritarian allies have their way, next will come "working groups," international conferences that result in high-sounding joint statements, official "dialogs," and finally conventions on "reasonable restrictions" on free speech, all in the name of "tolerance."

Bah. The UN should move to the old League of Nations headquarters in Switzerland; they’re just as useless.

(hat tip: Jihad Watch)

 

Technorati tags: United Nations, UN, Organization of the Islamic Conference, OIC, free speech, Islam, universal declaration of human rights, General Assembly

For Connecticut, for Angelo, for waitress sandwiches!

Dump Chris Dodd.

 

Technorati tags: Chris Dodd, waitress sandwich, Countrywide, friends of Angelo, mortgage crisis, Connecticut

Driving California into the ground

Charles Fountain provides a small but telling example of how my beloved California has gone from breadbasket to basketcase:

There’s already plenty of documentation about the collapse of California and how its citizens legislated it from a land of opportunity to a hell hole that punishes anyone with ambition and a dream. In the annals of its decline, this small item will surely pass unnoticed but it’s emblematic of what happened. In fact, I think it sums up the whole sorry saga quite neatly.

(hat tip: Instapundit)

 

Technorati tags: lawsuits, California, decline