Blogger Facing Trial for 'Insulting' Singapore Judges

Obviously we cannot tell another country how to enforce their owns laws, but this is an ominous sign for freedom of speech on the web.

You can bet your last dollar as well there are enough petty tyrants on the bench and in public office in this country who would gladly have bloggers silenced in such fashion.

A US national said Tuesday he will be tried in Singapore next month for allegedly insulting two judges who had presided over cases involving an opposition leader.

Gopalan Nair, a former Singaporean lawyer who is now a US citizen, told AFP he has not yet hired a lawyer to represent him in the trial from September 8-19.

"At this moment, I am representing myself," he said.

Nair faces two charges of insulting judges on his blog. Each charge carries a jail term of up to one year, a 5,000 Singapore dollar fine (3,676 US) or both.

In the first charge, he is accused of insulting Justice Belinda Ang, who presided over a defamation case where Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew and his son Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong testified against the leader of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party (SDP).

Nair, 58, alleged that Ang was "prostituting herself during the entire proceedings by being nothing more than an employee of Mr Lee Kuan Yew and his son and carrying out their orders," a court document said.

In the second charge, Nair is alleged to have sent an e-mail to Supreme Court Justice Lai Siu Chiu in 2006 saying he has "no shame" and that judges "are selling their souls and their conscience for money," according to a court document.

While I'm certainly not versed on Singapore law, it seems to me Nair was simply stating his own opinions and wasn't slandering anyone. Thank goodness we in the USA at least have the ability to state our own views without fear of punishment.

For now...

Which Conservative Blogger Is Next?

I am sort of familiar with the Political Pistachio radio show on Blog Talk Radio, but I was not familiar with his blog. The blogger in question is Douglas Gibbs and for unknown reasons he has been forced to quit blogging and shut down his talk radio show. He left some cryptic messages.

This may be my last post. I cannot discuss the reason for the shutdown, nor can I say if I will be allowed to return to blogging about politics. All I can say, and I may even be at risk for saying this, is: "Thank you, Liberal Left, for proving my point."

That is what I get for calling a spade a spade in a politically correct world.

Freedoms Lost.

H/T Snooper at A Newt One

UPDATE: 23 June 2008 The blogger in question has been in contact with me. The reasons for him leving bloging and his talk show on BTR were voluntary. It seems that a recent segment he did on his radio show angered some of our friends who profess to be liberal. They carried out an attack not on his person but his property. He has assured me that his absence is temporary, and that once he has taken some basic security precautions for him and his family he will be back.
In the mean time this continues to be yet further proof of how those on the liberal left wish to crush dissent and silence voices which are not in tune to their message.
Let's Hope for a Change.

The UnAssociated Press

We, meaning bloggers, have been aware of the legal actions that the AP has threatened for using their photos. Now they are stepping up the campaign to include their news articles. There is a campaign underway to push back against them. Details are here. More information here.
Now I am not the owner of this blog merely a contributor, but I will certainly participate in this news black out. Remember it isn't just AP stories from their main site, it is any story from any source that has an AP byline.

Chinese Bloggers Go Troofer After Quake

Well, that didn't take long. From what I can recall, it took at least a few days before the crackpot conspiracy types started in with their nonsense post-9/11.

Granted, these folks are probably in shock following this tragic calamity and at the same time are naturally suspicious of their government.

But really, it seems a bit far-fetched to think the Chinese government knew an earthquake was coming and did nothing to prevent it. And really, how exactly could they prevent it if indeed they knew?

As the death toll in China's Sichuan province climbs, the nation’s bloggers have joined together in the search for a scapegoat.

Broadband connections across the country are pulsing with rumours of "earthquake omens" involving toads or butterflies - all allegedly ignored by the authorities. Some even talk of a vast pre-Olympic conspiracy.

One blogger from Shandong province, in eastern China, wrote that more than a month ago, he went to his local earthquake forecast centre several times to report that his animals had been disturbed and restless.

But, he wrote: "They not only ridiculed me, they accused me of making up stories."

Read the rest.

Saudi Arabia detains another blogger

According to this story he was detained on the 10th of DEC and is still being held.

Saudi Arabian officials have reportedly detained a blogger whose writing has criticized religious extremism in the country, according to the two press freedom groups and a regional human-rights organization.
Blogger and IT professional Fouad Ahmed al-Farhan, 32, was taken into custody on December 10, the Committee to Protect Journalistsreported on Wednesday. His Arabic-language site now has a "Free Fouad" banner in English across the top.

Saudi Arabia is no friend of free speech, unless it comes from their creations like OBL.

Reporters Without Borders Thursday released a statement calling for al-Farhan's release; its current list of "13 Internet Enemies" includes Saudi Arabia.

Research into Internet content filtering by the OpenNet Initiative shows substantial blocking activity by the government of Saudi Arabia. The group says that filtering content for political reasons is the common denominator across the Middle East.

And in the meantime we have people in this country trying to force the Pentagon to embrace various Islamic groups of, shall we say questionable character.

Web 101 for Republican candidates

Okay much as been made out of leveraging the world wide web as a tool for campaigning, but unfortunately the Republican candidates for president seem to have still not quite figured out how to exploit this tool to it's best advantage. Therefore I am going to give you a couple tips that you may feel free to use....or not.

1) Hire a blogger, get a volunteer, whatever but you need to have somebody with you everywhere you go with a laptop equipped with wireless ability and a digital video camera. This person should be treated just like the person who carries the "nuclear football" for the president.
They don't have to be constantly typing away but they need to be there at every stop to record what you say, get video for use now or later and to keep tabs on what is being said on the web.
If the Huckster had this he wouldn't have been caught ignorant when he was asked about the NIE on Iran's nuclear policy.

2) All of the candidates have web sites but apparently they think they are just a one way communication tool.
I know for every candidates' web site that I have visited when I registered they asked for an email address, but strangely my inbox is quiet. The candidates need to get proactive. There should be a message every so often from the campaigns to keep me abreast of what the candidate is doing.

3) Publish itineraries on your web site or send them in the emails.
None of the candidates tell me where they are going to be. This serves two purposes. Now I don't expect the itinerary to be so specific as to say at 8:10 Shake hands with people at the Busy Bee Cafe in Morgan Falls, NC etc.
What I am looking for is information such as what city you will be in and if you feel it is pertinent what activity, such as a speech at the American Legion or the NRA.
The reason it is important to know where you are is because then other bloggers and normal people (just I just say bloggers ain't normal?) can go look for local news coverage of your visit. It is apparent that the Mass Market Media has anointed certain candidates as "front runners" and they are the only ones who get all the ink and the face time on tv. You will find local news coverage is often much fairer and more accurate then the big news conglomerates are. If I could find stories from local news about my favorite candidates then I could post them for further dissemination across the web.

4) Too many stories highlighted on blogs come from news stories in the national media so if you aren't making the scene there then you will also be missing on the web.
If you have a story you want to get out send it out.

5) Grace a couple of bloggers with your presence. Fred did this back in July and August, which helped to create the buzz about his candidacy, but now he has gone silent.

6) Can you win using the web?
No you can't win relying on the web only you must use all the resources in your toolbox, but when people in Iowa can see how people in Georgia feel about a candidate or some guy in California can post information about your campaign to be read by somebody in Maine it can't hurt.

7) Finally, if you complain about the lack of coverage in the Mass Market Media why aren't you using this resource?

Any way those are just my thoughts, free of charge. The bottom line is don't make me look for you, come to me.

UPDATE:1:00 PM Duncan Hunter does have an itinerary on his web site.
And Fred Thompson has a schedule up for his Iowa bus tour.

Blinky the Blogger

I doubt Stretch Pelosi knows how to even log on to a computer, let alone create and edit a blog. But let's play along.

Pelosi also hired a full-time staff member this month dedicated to blogger outreach, and is making plans to launch a blog of her own. The day she was sworn in, bloggers were given special accommodations at the Capitol to cover the event, and fed lunch.

It's all evidence of the newfound attention bloggers from left-leaning Web sites are commanding on Democratic-run Capitol Hill, especially from the new speaker, a San Franciscan with an appreciation for the power of the Internet and grass-roots activism.

I always love the media terminology for hardcore leftists. In this case it's "left-leaning." If they leaned any more to the left, they'd tip over.

The story claims they're reaching out. But only if you're on the good side.

"They've gone from an initial writing blogs off, then moving to skepticism, then moving to, 'OK, maybe we can find a way of working with these guys,'" said John Aravosis, who runs Americablog.com.

"It's a power base and it's influential and it's an opportunity. And you know what? It exists," Aravosis added.

"It should only scare you if you're on their bad side."

Believe me, I'm more amused than scared.

Michelle Malkin has more.

UPDATE: Silly me. How could I forget the photo? (Courtesy of Paleo Lithics.)