Free Dominion Beats the Rap

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the egregious complaint against the Canadian forum Free Dominion. Somebody was offended by FD’s evil, Islamophobic, racist, hateful speech and filed a complaint against the site with the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

Canada’s descent into legal infringements on free speech is more advanced than ours, although the USA is running hard to try to catch up. Free Dominion definitely had something to worry about.

However, word of this outrage spread like wildfire over the internet, as such things tend to do. Gates of Vienna was not the only blog or website that objected to this attempt to stifle open discussion. And it seems that our collective efforts have had an effect: CHRC has found the charge to be without basis, and Free Dominion is off the hook:
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It is said that the best victory is in the battle you don’t have to fight. This show of strength by people from across Canada — and from beyond our borders — has stopped this battle before it had to be fought. Because all things with the CHRC are political, either Ms. Gentes or the Commission, or both, have decided that an attack at this time on Free Dominion is a political bridge too far.

We have all won an important battle here today and we should take what we can from the lessons we have learned.

These above-the-law organizations are not omnipotent.

The glaring light of public exposure is toxic to these groups.

The internet gives people a means of defense because it can be used as a source of light.

There are many more lessons that could be listed, and I look forward to reading some of them while I pop a cold one.

Let’s all pop a cold one tonight in honor of Free Dominion. What would be a good Canadian brew — Moosehead? And Tuborg is always advised, of course. I recommend that the Brits opt for Theakston’s, and our friends in Oz can crack a tube of Foster’s.

Skol!