China Rights Network, 8th July 2008: The freedom to distort? (http://www.theglobeandmail.com:80/servlet/story/LAC.20080708.LETTERS08-4/TPStory/Comment) –

“China Rights Network … has complained to the CRTC about CCTV-4 broadcasts in March and April that characterized protesting Tibetans as violent thugs and criminals. … doubly distressing that distortions and lies are given free access to Canadian homes. Freedom of the press should not include the freedom  to distort“.

Wrong. I can understand wanting to oppose the actions of the Chinese government, fine. So why don’t you make your own broadcast to counter it? And advocate among those who are watching.

Why are we regulated by the CRTC anyway? We don’t have the freedoms we should. It should be up to consumers what information they want in their homes. What about all the distortions from the mainstream Canadian and American media?

Each individual should freely decide what is distorted and what is not. That is how our society is supposed to work. That is what freedom means. This group is calling for censorship in Canada, not freedom in Canada. Even if it’s information from a tyrannical government, it’s still information that Canadians should have access to, just like we have access to the Canadian and American establishment propaganda outlets who fed us a constant stream of lies from Colin Powell and George Bush!

As we slowly descend into a more totalitarian system (yes, based on the steady escalation in regulations and surveillance that you’re not paying attention to), some of us will appreciate this Orwellian joke about how concerned we are supposed to be at the lack of freedom in foreign countries we know nothing about. As in 1984, I’m sure our own government will have us focus outwards more and more at foreign despots while rehearsing empty rhetoric about Canadian “freedoms”. Same old same old. Why is the CRTC still allowed to regulate our society? Why do those of us who believe in freedom put up with that?

Don’t use the CRTC to suppress the freedom of Canadians.

July 12, 2008