Silly Little Country

A bogus meaning of 'bogus'

Simon Singh is in a pickle and Orac does a nice job of summarizing why.
Canadian "human rights" commissions are certainly one major offence against free speech, but Orac dosuments why British libel law is even more ridiculously so.

I feel for you my skeptical British brothers and sisters. I also admire you. If I lived in the UK, I don't know if I would have intestinal fortitude to keep blogging if Singh settles or appeals and loses. It's times like these when I truly cherish the wisdom of our Founding Fathers for having enshrined freedom of speech in the Constitution as part of its First Amendment. True, it doesn't entirely prevent legal thuggery such as what the British Chiropractic Association is doing, but it does make it a lot more difficult.

Personally I hope Singh fights, and I am with Orac here:

He has such an uphill battle from here that it may not make sense to continue. I wonder if there is a legal defense fund to which skeptics may contribute. I'd be willing to make a contribution, for sure.

If I hear of such a fund, I'll post on it.
Imagine of Jenny McCarthy had not simply her Oprah-based bully pulpit but similar libel laws to use against criticism of her antivax idiocy.

Labels: bogosity

posted by Alan Adamson @ 10:19 AM