France doesn't get it

Even if you've never read Glenn Greenwald, you should take the time to read this column. It's about the insane efforts various countries are making to ensure that they and their beliefs are not criticized. We've seen it with religion; we've seen it with politics.

Putting a muzzle on people is the end of democracy. And as you'll see in the column, even France (not Iran; not China; France!) doesn't understand this.

Morsi is a bit confused

Egypt doesn't seem to understand this whole democracy thing. The following lead paragraphs are from two different stories in the news this evening:

Egyptian prosecutors referred to trial Tuesday a well-known radical Islamist who tore up an English copy of the Bible during a protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Cairo against an anti-Islam film produced in the United States.

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi said freedom of expression must be used responsibly in a speech Tuesday to the Clinton Global Initiative in New York that hinted at looming tensions in the newly-democratic nation.

Yup, they're going to have to learn how to drive this bus. Mind you, I like Morsi. He's not a dunce and he's made some smart statements along the way. Besides, he's new at his job. I'm willing to cut him some slack. Who knows, with a little practice he might figure it out. But for the moment, the poor man's not even in the ballpark.

Blasphemy laws are really muddying the democratic waters in Egypt and other Middle east nations. Such laws cannot co-exist with democracy -- but the Egyptian people don't know this yet. I feel empathy for them, especially since so many Americans are slavering for an opportunity to establish a Christian theocracy here. If this ever happened, we'd have blasphemy laws within minutes.

The answer is always the same. Religion has to go if the world is ever to know peace.

Worldwide Pussy Riot rallies

Previously, I wrote about Pussy Riot and the ridiculous way that Putin attacked them after one of their performances. This was essentially an attack on free speech in Russia, so it's important.

Happily, the story caught fire and now global activists have taken up the cause. Here's an excerpt from today's Times/AP story:

The global campaign to free Pussy Riot is gaining speed: Supporters of the punk provocateur band mobilize this week in at least a two dozen cities worldwide to hold simultaneous demonstrations an hour before a Russian court rules on whether its members will be sent to prison.

Go read the story. Free Pussy Riot!

Ban on fortune-telling overturned in La.

Maria Ouspenskaya, actress.

I wonder if a Louisiana judge wasn't trying to protect Jeebus from harm when she decided this case. Judge Dee Drell sided with a magistrate and struck down a ban on fortunetelling for a spurious reason:

The city argued the business of fortunetelling is a fraud and inherently deceptive, but U.S. Magistrate James Kirk concluded that fortunetelling is free speech protected by the First Amendment. 

I don't see how that argument holds water. Sure, if you're fortunetelling on a streetcorner for free, you might conclude this is free speech. But these "psychics" charge money for their lies. It is indeed a fraud.

But horrors, if they let the law stand, it might cast a shadow on churches where they also collect money and tell people lies. Might religion be the same sort of illegal fraud? I imagine the authorities had an aha moment that went something like this: "We'd better get this goldarned law off the books right quick before it hurts the baby Jeebus!" 

Fraud is fraud. The judge was wrong and the magistrate before her was wrong. 

By the way, here's my favorite part of the linked story:

Adams told The Town Talk newspaper last year that she is a fifth-generation psychic.