One of the blogs I frequented during the election, Captain's Quarters Blog, has been at the forefront of some interesting news brewing in Canada. There are rumors of some reported scandal involving the ruling Liberal party. However, details are scare because the Canadian government has issued a "publication ban" forbidding anyone to write about the story. (Apparently going so far as to have threatened Captain's Quarters with contempt of court. Can you imagine the outrage if the situation happened in reverse--an American court trying to shut down the media outlet in Canada?)
Captain's Quarters has ignored the ban and posted some details. His latest post on the subject indicates the publication ban may be lifted tomorrow, allowing members of the media in Canada who have much more information to start covering the story.
I must admit I would have probably glossed over the whole story if it had not for been for this publication ban element. I can't really get my head around the concept. Thank goodness, once again, for the Bill of Rights and, more specifically, the right to free speech.
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Canadians are supposed to have a right to free speech as well under Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. So more specifically, be thankful for America's unnuanced view of this right where we have a right to say just about anything without fear of government censorship.
Well, anything that isn't related to an election campaign anyway. Thanks John McCain!
What's not to understand? Is the American media always allowed into Grand Jury hearings? Court cases? No, this is exactly the same situation.
The difference is that in the US, while investigations into government corruption (or the sex lives of politicians - thanks to all those sexually repressed "social conservatives") are going on, people can't keep their mouths shut and live up to their sworn duties not to leak the information.
Washington has gotten so bad that people don't even care anymore. Everyone leaks everything, even though they're not supposed to.
Oh, and I'd be willing to take a little government censorship if it meant my family wasn't subjected to crap like Paris Hilton or that stupid show about plastic surgery. Let's go the other way for a change.
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