Quote of the Day
You’ve probably heard of Nadya Suleman – the US mother who recently gave birth to octuplets. I just stumbled on this story, and found it quite amusing. She had told NBC News that she was not receiving welfare, but it turns out she receives $490 a month in food stamps, as well disability assistance for three of her first six children. Her publicist (!) provides the money quote, as he explains:
“In Nadya’s view, the money that she gets from the food stamp program … and the resources disabilities payments she gets for her three children are not welfare,” he said. “They are part of programs designed to help people with need, and she does not see that as welfare.”
It’s only welfare if you don’t need it… Priceless!
The Importance of Being Offensive
‘What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist’, Salman Rushdie.
Controversial Dutch MP, Geert Wilders, was recently invited to give a screening of his film, Fitna, to a private gathering at the House of Lords in London. Following threats made by Lord Nazir Ahmed to mobilise an army of 10,000 Muslim followers, the British authorities caved in and banned Wilders from screening his film. Lord Ahmed declared the ban as a ‘victory for the Muslim community.’
The European Parliament has already banned the screening of Fitna on its premises. One Dutch MEP, Maria Martens, welcomed the decision with these immortal words,
‘The film has nothing to do with freedom of expression. This freedom does not give the right to offend.’
Freedom of speech is generally regarded as a ‘good thing’ in most political circles. But the freedom to offend is increasingly being viewed as a ‘bad thing’ and needing of regulation. This is wrong, stupid and dangerous. Freedom of speech is nothing without the freedom to offend.
But why is the right to offend so important? After all, wouldn’t it be better if we could all just get along and cause no offence to each other? Well of course it would, but once you strangle the right to criticise ideas, you lose the ability to progress. Idiotic ideas that go unchallenged fester and start to attract an underground following.
Copernicus caused great offence to the Catholic Church in 1514 by challenging the long-held belief that the Sun revolves around the Earth. Yet, would anyone today rather if his offensive ideas had been banned? Restricting the freedom to offend is an anti-progressive, arch-conservative reaction to a changing world.
Let’s take an example closer to home.
Danny Nalliah (pictured) is a senior pastor of the ‘Catch the Fire Ministries’. He believes that the tragic bushfires in Victoria which have claimed as many as 300 lives are a result of Victoria’s ‘incendiary‘ (a truly appalling choice of word) abortion laws.
‘God’s protection has been taken off the state, and Satan is having a go at the nation.’
Tons more of this crap can be found on their website here. Read more »
Victorian Fires
The Victorian fires are a reminder of how deadly nature can be. They are also a reminder of how rapidly and spontaneously people can extend compassion to those in real need. No coercion required.
Whether it is those that volunteer to fight the fires, those that make sandwiches to feed them, somebody donating a generator or simply giving money to the red cross, people seem to implicitly know how they can best help. And they do.
I grew up on a farm surrounded by bushland and as a teenager fighting fires seemed to be an almost regular event as we lent a hand to help neighbours contain fire. On one occasion in the midst of bushland I turned to retreat from a fire that was too hot to fight only to find myself surrounded by fire. Luckily the fire behind me was not yet hot enough to prevent retreat and I ended the day with nothing more than a few minor burns. Even knowing first hand that fire can move quickly and how easily miscalculations can put your life in peril I am still, like most people, stunned by the carnage in Victoria.
These fires were apparantly so fierce that from hundreds of metres away the heat could be over 1000 degrees Celcius. The heat could kill you long before the smoke or flames even made a mark. Within minutes of the first sign of a fire the front could be apon you. In short some people simply never stood a chance.
There are already those that are blaming climate change for these fires. Others think restrictions on clearing of vegetation had a role. I don’t pretend to know the reasons why upward of possibly 300 people have lost their lives. No doubt as the fires come under control and people begin to rebuild their lives lots of questions need to be asked.
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Recent Comments
Catallaxy Files- The Bunyip is evil February 8, 2012The professor suggests that the Victorian liberals should contest the seat of Niddrie recently vacated by Rob Hulls. Hulls held the seat by 6.9% at the last election — a margin any popular Premier with even a modest record of achievement might have seen his candidate make up. (emphasis added) Heh. Well, yes.Sinclair Davidson
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