"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
So I see that far right shock jock Michael Savage has been banned from Britain for allegedly fostering extremism or hatred.
I am not that familiar with British laws pertaining to hate crimes/speech. I realize that countries have the right to regulate who enters their country, as opponents of illegal immigration will be quick to point out. My natural inclination is to err on the side of free speech unless there's a pretty compelling reason otherwise. Putting up with filth like Savage's is a necessary evil in a democratic society. Otherwise, 'allowable' speech depends on who's in power and people like Savage are allowed to turn themselves into free speech martyrs.
Civil libertarians noted that excluding people based on their political views intensified after the passage of the Patriot Act in 2001, it recalls Cold War fears when people like Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, a communist, was kept out of the United States. The letter cited people who been barred from entering the United States, including Adam Habib, a South African professor and human rights activist, Rafael de Jesus Gallego Romero, a Colombian priest who is a critic of his government, and Tariq Ramadan, a Swiss national who is a professor at the University of Oxford and described as a leading Islamic thinker, reported The San Francisco Chronicle.
That said, I can only laugh at how Savage and his supporters have suddenly become big defenders of free speech.
I'm not sure which is more ironic: a) the fact that the same Savage who's now whining about free speech protections used to say that it was "time to re-enact the Sedition Act," which banned criticism of the federal government* or b) the fact that one of the most vocal organizations against the practice to which Savage was subjected is that group most hated by the far right... the ACLU.
(*-Too bad he didn't get his way now that his much loathed Obama is president)
Update: The UK isn't the only country coming under criticism for its blacklists.
5 comments:
I by no means defend everything Savage says, but then (you will be shocked to learn) I don't always agree with you, either. I'm not sure that the anti-Savage source you link to is persuasive. I quote from it: "Micheal Savage should be immediately placed in 4 point restraints under heavy sedation for the safety of every American man, women and child, until such time we can get NASA back on line and transport Michael to another planet, preferably one that is not part of our solar system!"
The writer would no doubt say that sentence is hyperbolic and not serious, but is apparently not prepared to regard Savage in the same light.
Bob,
Thanks for your comment.
I would rather have linked to an excerpt for Savage's own website, as it would have been the most authoratative. However unlike nearly most websites (including this one), Savage's doesn't include a search function. I did, however, find a rant about how rude kids today are. Michael Savage lecturing on rudeness made me laugh heartily.
My suggestion is to Google 'Michael Savage sedition act' and you will find dozens of different links pointing to the same quote, some from anti-Savage sites, some from pro- ones. As such, I have every reason to believe he actually said it... which is the only point I was trying to make with the link.
I'll skip the disclaimer: "I don't agree with him but...". I will not apologize for agreeing with Savage on about 95% of issues. He is a genuine conservative independent that doesn't answer to the GOP, Fox News, or anyone else like Limbaugh, Hannity, and the Leprechaun do. But the scary thing here is that this blacklisting must have originated in the United States considering Savage would be unknown to the British Home Office. A setup to eventually get him kicked off the airwaves and silent one of this government's and the political establishment's loudest critics? You can stop calling us paranoid. This insanity is actually happening.
I remember back in the '80s some UK bands like New Model Army were barred from entering the US. This kind of thing can actually be a boon of free publicity. Being banned from the BBC during those years was a good way for pop singles to rocket to #1 (remember Frankie Goes to Hollywood?). So I chuckled at the comment about this being a "setup" to get Savage "kicked off the airwaves." If anything, I can imagine he'll find new listeners who never heard of him before this news. How does being refused entry into Britain get someone booted from US radio, anyway?
Glenn, I agree. Being banned from Britain bought him a bucketload of free publicity that I'm sure he's tickled pink about. As per the old celebrity axiom: "Love me, hate me but don't ignore me."
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