Comments on: NIMBY

By: Bryan

Bryan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:20:50 +0000

It is looking like the government of the US has no interest in actually helping people, so I can understand that people are ready to leave, to look for a better life.

By: hipparchia

hipparchia — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:47:10 +0000

i'd like to see that musical. i figure i'm going to have to move to canada anyway, might as well take in a few shows while i'm there. .-= last blog ..I've just discovered a whole new [to me] YouTube genre =-.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:35:52 +0000

The difference in libel laws is why so many cases are taken to London by celebrities whenever possible. They can’t readily sue in the US because they are “public persons” and are required to prove “actual malice” in addition to the falsity of what was written.

Yes, the laws are different, and you have to be a good deal more careful, so you and I would probably run into trouble, but there are times when “defending the right to Free Speech” gets to be a strain when you are dealing with the wingnuts.

I keep hoping someone is going to find old Fred in bed with a goat or something, so he and his inbred tribe will go away. I just hope he never tries to bring his show down here, because there would be trouble.

I seem to remember that Fred and his group are barred from the UK, so the Canadians have probably added him to the list that everyone seem to have these days.

By: Badtux

Badtux — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:30:59 +0000

Canada has their own wingnuts. Thing is, while Canadians have freedom of speech in their Charter of Rights, Canadians interpret the term differently. You have the right to disagree, but you do not have the right to slander or libel entire groups of people in a way that could be construed to create hatred of or anger against that group, that is incitement of violence and not tolerated by polite culture or Canadian law. You can speak truth, but you better darn well be able to prove it's truth in a court of law. So if Fred Phelp's gang showed up in Canada they would be promptly hauled off by the local constabulary and fined unless they could *prove* that God hates fags (remember, English common law reverses the burden of proof in libel/slander cases compared to the US) -- and the way the rules of evidence work in Commonwealth nations it wouldn't be enough to point to words in the Bible since that's second-hand hearsay written down by a third party, the Phelps gang would need to call God himself to personally take the stand and state that He hates fags. Needless to say, that would be a tough case for the Phelps gang to win ;). Not saying that the Canadian system is preferable to the more open American system, I think you can make argumetns either way. It does seem to result in a more pleasant civil society though, since hate-mongers cannot do so in an obnoxious and public manner without being fined for their conduct. .-= last blog ..OMG! =-.