Thursday, December 15, 2005
Truly, Truly Chilling
Mark Steyn describes a recent incident in Jolly Old
As someone who has visited both the Soviet Union and The People's Republic Of China - there is nothing civil, regardless of context or precise legalities, in a police visit based upon non-threatening utterance. I have had friends describe to me in agonizing and horrifying detail visits by the KGB or the Red Army to investigate potential improper speech.
Imagine, I and some friends are walking in front of St. Issac's Cathedral in Leningrad as it was then known. It's the wee hours and the vodka has been flowing. We are having a blast. Feeling the vodka, I make a wisecrack about the KGB. I have never seen a party end so fast or people sober up so quickly. Laughter was replaced by horror in a matter of microseconds.
I find nothing civil in what Steyn describes -- I find no excuse for it acceptable. I also find it unbelievable that Steyn finds a lack of political will to address it.
I pray that this nation never sinks that low. I pray for my British cousins. Great Britian has been the shining light resisting the numerous police states that have attempted to gain control of Europe over the centuries - It would be a shame to have them join this one.
Well, the other day, the author Lynette Burrows went on a BBC Five Live show to talk about the government's new "civil partnerships" and expressed her opinion - politely, no intemperate words - that the adoption of children by homosexuals was "a risk". The following day, Fulham police contacted her to discuss the "homophobic incident".Steyn does his usual good job of pointing out the inherent problems with this story, but I think he is understated as to its horrors. He alludes to it
A Scotland Yard spokesperson told the Telegraph's Sally Pook that it's "standard policy" for "community safety units" to investigate "homophobic, racist and domestic incidents" because these are all "priority crimes" - even though, in the case of Mrs Burrows, there is (to be boringly legalistic about these things) no crime, as even the zealots of the Yard concede.
As it is, Lynette Burrows has been investigated by police merely for expressing an opinion. Which is the sort of thing we used to associate with police states.But I am not sure I am comfortable with hiding behind the veneer of civility that is this "no crime" police intimidation tactic.
As someone who has visited both the Soviet Union and The People's Republic Of China - there is nothing civil, regardless of context or precise legalities, in a police visit based upon non-threatening utterance. I have had friends describe to me in agonizing and horrifying detail visits by the KGB or the Red Army to investigate potential improper speech.
Imagine, I and some friends are walking in front of St. Issac's Cathedral in Leningrad as it was then known. It's the wee hours and the vodka has been flowing. We are having a blast. Feeling the vodka, I make a wisecrack about the KGB. I have never seen a party end so fast or people sober up so quickly. Laughter was replaced by horror in a matter of microseconds.
I find nothing civil in what Steyn describes -- I find no excuse for it acceptable. I also find it unbelievable that Steyn finds a lack of political will to address it.
I pray that this nation never sinks that low. I pray for my British cousins. Great Britian has been the shining light resisting the numerous police states that have attempted to gain control of Europe over the centuries - It would be a shame to have them join this one.
