Posted on 04/29/2008 1:16:30 PM PDT by Dawnsblood
The following press release (see below) just landed in my inbox: Apparently, the Canadian Islamic Congress is going to announce that it's seeking some kind of plea bargain with Maclean's magazine in regard to the human-rights complaint against Mark Steyn's famous 2006 article. One imagines it will be some variation on the CIC's previous demand that Maclean's publish a lengthy rebuttal by Muslim activists.
Given that Maclean's editor Ken Whyte responded to that previous overture by stating that he would rather go bankrupt than publish an anti-Steyn manifesto, I would estimate the chances that the magazine accept this offer at about 0%. The issue has become a point of principle with Steyn and Whyte. As well, it has served to unite the formerly dispersed and somewhat obscure right-wing Canadian blogosphere around a single powerful cause, giving the centrist Maclean's ideological credibility among a tranche of Canadian thinkers who would otherwise ignore it. On a purely commercial basis, it would be foolish to throw that away by giving in to the CIC.
Come to think of it, it's fair to say that the Maclean's imbroglio has been one of the biggest shots in the arm to Canadian conservatives in general. It's turned red-meat right-winger Ezra Levant into a star blogger and a free-speech hero with brand-name recognition in the United States, turned Steyn's name into a household word, created a debate within the Jewish community over its traditionally doctrinaire support for blanket hate-speech laws (Ezra for CJC president, anyone?), shone a light on the amateurish shenanigans of Canada's human rights commissions, driven a powerful movement for reform of said commissions, and generally served to marginalize the pro-censorship lobby to the point that its main defender is now a disgruntled former journalist who fills his blog with unhinged conspiracy theories about how everyone who favours free speech is a racist.
All of which to say: Thank you, CIC. You've done a good deed — albeit unintentionally.
Ping
Another one on Steyn.
BTTT
Bump!
-
Thanks Anti-Bubba182!
Canada’s sharia creeps want to settle with Steyn
Michelle Malkin | 4/29/08 | Michelle Malkin
Posted on 04/29/2008 10:47:54 AM PDT by LJayne
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2008705/posts
Bump!
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