First they came after Bardot.

[JayB]

Brigitte Bardot runs afoul of the speech-codes in Euroland.

 

" Brigitte Bardot on trial for Muslim slur

 

Tue Apr 15, 12:42 PM ET

 

PARIS (Reuters) - French former film star Brigitte Bardot went on trial on Tuesday for insulting Muslims, the fifth time she has faced the charge of "inciting racial hatred" over her controversial remarks about Islam and its followers.

 

 

Prosecutors asked that the Paris court hand the 73-year-old former sex symbol a two-month suspended prison sentence and fine her 15,000 euros ($23,760) for saying the Muslim community was "destroying our country and imposing its acts."

 

Since retiring from the film industry in the 1970s, Bardot has become a prominent animal rights activist but she has also courted controversy by denouncing Muslim traditions and immigration from predominantly Muslim countries.

 

She has been fined four times for inciting racial hatred since 1997, at first 1,500 euros and most recently 5,000.

 

Prosecutor Anne de Fontette told the court she was seeking a tougher sentence than usual, adding: "I am a little tired of prosecuting Mrs Bardot."

 

Bardot did not attend the trial because she said she was physically unable to. The verdict is expected in several weeks.

 

French anti-racist groups complained last year about comments Bardot made about the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha in a letter to President Nicolas Sarkozy that was later published by her foundation.

 

Muslims traditionally mark Eid al-Adha by slaughtering a sheep or another animal to commemorate the prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son on God's orders.

 

France is home to 5 million Muslims, Europe's largest Muslim community, making up 8 percent of France's population.

 

"I am fed up with being under the thumb of this population which is destroying us, destroying our country and imposing its acts," the star of 'And God created woman' and 'Contempt' said.

 

Bardot has previously said France is being invaded by sheep-slaughtering Muslims and published a book attacking gays, immigrants and the unemployed, in which she also lamented the "Islamisation of France."

 

Too bad for her that her that she didn't have the wisdom to confine her twilight-tirades to McDonald's, Capitalism, and Americans...

 

 

 

 

[ivan]

it is odd how, after countless revolutions, france and really all of the euros still haven't really embraced the whole "freedome of speech" thing to the same extent as us.

 

now if only we could catch up to them on capital punishment and military spending

[archenemy]

Then, they were waiting for Godot.

[Hugh Conway]

I'm more interested in the Marilyn Monroe BJ movie

[billcoe]

I'm more interested in the Marilyn Monroe BJ movie

 

Well, show it then. Don't ya wonder if that was any truth that MM was murdered cause she was going to expose that JFK was banging her? I suspect so myself given how much of a low-life JFK's Father, Joe Kennedy was, having at that time probably already hired a young girl murdered when she was going to testify against him.

 

Age sucks, one more example.

 

BB before

 

After (crying for the baby seals)

 

Think perhaps it's those damn seal-hunting Canadians who worried her so much that did that to her?

[Hugh Conway]

Well, show it then

 

I would if I could

 

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/marilyn-monroe-sex-film-to-remain-under-wraps/2008/04/15/1208025130326.html

[Fairweather]

Dirty Muslims.

[ZONK]

Its a bad deal when what You say can land You in Jail. We will one day face shit like this here, And it will be late to do anything about it !

[JayB]

Its a bad deal when what You say can land You in Jail. We will one day face shit like this here, And it will be late to do anything about it !

 

It's closer than you think. The process is already well under way up north as a consequence of the "hate speech" laws they've enacted up there.

 

I have little doubt that a substantial portion of our own electorate would like to emulate the Euro-Canadian model and empower a state bureaucracy to criminalize comments about racial, ethnic, or religious groups.

 

 

 

[ivan]

I have little doubt that a substantial portion of our own electorate would like to emulate the Euro-Canadian model and empower a state bureaucracy to criminalize comments about racial, ethnic, or religious groups.

 

 

it won't happen - we're nothign if we're not slow, fat fucks, content w/ the status quo. luckily our status quo is you can say anything you damn well want, just don't let your assistant blow you while you're at work (funny, cuz the euros seem to have the exact opposite situation, no? i reckon i prefer our situation)

[JayB]

I may be in the minority on this one, but I think that if Clinton had simply admitted what he had done the whole thing would have...ehm...blown over and things would have never advanced to the point where either a grand jury or Congress got involved. There have actually been a few cases where a politician got caught with his pants down, and suffered no lasting repercussions because nothing they did was illegal and they owned up to everything when they got caught.

 

The guy came of age during Watergate, and he should have known instinctively the political risks that come along with cover-ups.

 

 

As far as free speech is concerned, I don't think it will be the apathy of the vast and squishy middle that keep the thought police at bay as it will be the agitations of the folks who feel passionately about issues that elicit a distracted shrug from most people. I suspect that even the folks who rally against one particular infringement on speech will be likely to give a good solid yawn when the state goes after someone making use of their speech rights in a way that they don't care for. At the end of the day though, I think that even shifting coalitions of people who support free-speech inconsistently and for their own reasons might be enough to keep the soft Euro-Canadian sensi-paternaloconsensus at bay.

[ivan]

yeah, i'd say its a no-brainer that clinton woulda been better off to have come clean at the start (since he'd already gotten re-elected and couldn't be impeached for what he did), but then if he'd gotten away w/ it...

[KaskadskyjKozak]

it is odd how, after countless revolutions, france and really all of the euros still haven't really embraced the whole "freedome of speech" thing to the same extent as us.

 

now if only we could catch up to them on capital punishment and military spending

 

lack of freedom of speech goes hand in hand with the rest of the "progressive" euro-philosophy.

 

[Hugh Conway]

I have little doubt that a substantial portion of our own electorate would like to emulate the Euro-Canadian model and empower a state bureaucracy to criminalize comments about racial, ethnic, or religious groups

 

Don't forget people who mock blue collar Pennsyltuckians

[KaskadskyjKozak]

I have little doubt that a substantial portion of our own electorate would like to emulate the Euro-Canadian model and empower a state bureaucracy to criminalize comments about racial, ethnic, or religious groups

 

Don't forget people who mock blue collar Pennsyltuckians

 

Keep laughing jackass... all the way to a McCain victory party.

 

[Hugh Conway]

Keep laughing jackass... all the way to a McCain victory party.

 

Mccain's got more than a few Dean screams in him left

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Keep laughing jackass... all the way to a McCain victory party.

 

Mccain's got more than a few Dean screams in him left

 

That should be entertaining.

 

I'm looking forward to a few October surprises.

[JayB]

I have little doubt that a substantial portion of our own electorate would like to emulate the Euro-Canadian model and empower a state bureaucracy to criminalize comments about racial, ethnic, or religious groups

 

Don't forget people who mock blue collar Pennsyltuckians

 

?

 

Seems like simultaneously flattering the egos and pretensions of one sector of the electorate that you are courting by making condescending comments about the convictions of...another sector of the electorate that you are courting will always be grist for the political mill.

 

Had McCain made the same sort of remarks about the bible-belters while addressing a meeting of CEO's at the Cato institute, he'd get the same treatment.

 

Not sure what this has to do with state-enforced speech codes, but...

[STP]

[tvashtarkatena]

Finally, a society that has the balls to enforce true religious tolerance. This is exactly the kind of thing that will move mankind forward into a more peaceful future.

[Hugh Conway]

Had McCain made the same sort of remarks about the bible-belters while addressing a meeting of CEO's at the Cato institute, he'd get the same treatment

 

Nah, he's a "straight shooter". Didn't see much in Obama's statement flattering to egos and pretensions - more an accurate statement of the proclivities of stressed societies.

[tvashtarkatena]

McCain is pretty much a straight shooter. So far, what he's offered is "more of the same" royal clusterfuck policies from the past eight years. He's been pretty up front about that.

 

And thats why he's going to lose in a landslide. IMO, of course.

[JayB]

Finally, a society that has the balls to enforce true religious tolerance. This is exactly the kind of thing that will move mankind forward into a more peaceful future.

 

Joke?

[JayB]

Had McCain made the same sort of remarks about the bible-belters while addressing a meeting of CEO's at the Cato institute, he'd get the same treatment

 

Nah, he's a "straight shooter". Didn't see much in Obama's statement flattering to egos and pretensions - more an accurate statement of the proclivities of stressed societies.

 

I agree. Imagine the stress his audience has been under for a great deal of their adult lives. First the hope of the world is extinguished by the implosions east of the Iron curtain, then the options grant is out of the money, then theres the two lost elections, and now the I/O ARM on the 4/3 in Marin is about to reset - gotta take refuge in something....

[Hugh Conway]

I agree. Imagine the stress his audience has been under for a great deal of their adult lives. First the hope of the world is extinguished by the implosions east of the Iron curtain, then the options grant is out of the money, then theres the two lost elections, and now the I/O ARM on the 4/3 in Marin is about to reset - gotta take refuge in something....

 

stressed societies = those remaining in rustbelt America - you know, the ones clinging to god and guns because there ain't much left for employment in rural Pennsyltucky