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Denmark Archive

Thursday

15

September 2011

0

COMMENTS

Overgovernment: What's In a Name Edition

Written by , Posted in Big Government, The Nanny State & A Regulated Society

This edition of overgovernment comes with an international flavor. Did you know that before you can name a child in Denmark, you must first get permission from the government? They have approximately 7,000 officially sanctioned baby names to choose from. If you wish to use a name not on the approved list, you must get the permission of no less than the Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs and the Ministry of Family and Consumer Affairs. And yes, those do sound like organizations taken right out of 1984.

The busybodies claim they are protecting children from names that will single them out for special and unwanted treatment by their peers. Give me a break. While we all feel sorry for the occasional child with an outlandish name (I’m looking at you, Hollywood), this law is not going to protect them from the root of their problem: having idiots for parents. What they are really attempting to do is stop the cultural march of time with legislation, an effort doomed to failure. Just law reflects its culture, it does not attempt to steer it.

Thursday

26

October 2006

0

COMMENTS

Lawsuit Over Danish Cartoons Thrown Out

Written by , Posted in Foreign Affairs & Policy

From Townhall:

A Danish court rejected a lawsuit Thursday against the newspaper that first printed the controversial Prophet Muhammad cartoons. Arab politicians and intellectuals warned the verdict would widen the gap between Westerners and Muslims, but said mass protests were unlikely.

The City Court in Aarhus rejected claims by seven Danish Muslim groups that the 12 drawings printed in the Jyllands-Posten daily were meant to insult the prophet and make a mockery of Islam. Islamic law forbids any depiction of Prophet Muhammad, even positive ones, to prevent idolatry.

The court conceded that some Muslims saw the drawings as offensive, but found there was no basis to assume that “the purpose of the drawings was to present opinions that can belittle Muslims.”

…Jyllands-Posten’s editor in chief hailed the court’s decision as a victory for freedom of speech.

It’s good that the lawsuit was thrown out, but I’m not encouraged and don’t really consider this “a victory for freedom of speech”. It’s a harbringer of things to come, and the fact that it was even filed does not bode well for the future of intellectual freedom in Europe. After all, what if the cartoons had been intended “to present opinions that can belittle Muslims”? Is that really a sound cause of legal action? Everyone else can be belittled, but not Muslims? If you’re only allowed to express an opinion that doesn’t offend anyone then that’s not freedom of speech.

Monday

16

October 2006

0

COMMENTS

UN To Hold Cartoonist Indoctrination Seminars

Written by , Posted in Foreign Affairs & Policy

Predictably, the UN has respondedĀ in the most wrongheaded manner possible to the hysterical reactions of some Muslims to cartoons they didn’t like. Rather than condemning the intimidation tactics carried out against Denmark, the UN is holding a seminar on “The Responsibility of Political Cartoonist”.

Apparently the problem is not that some people feel violence is an acceptable response to statements or opinions they disapprove of. Oh no, we can’t go around blaming people for their actions. The responsibility, rather, rests with those damn cartoonists who insist on expressing themselves. But never fear, the UN is stepping in to make sure these dastardly draftsmen are brainwashed into compliance. There will be no more unpleasant (nor free) “speech”, we can promise you that!