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Author Topic: Canwest SLAPPing Mordecai Briemberg
Michelle
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Babbler # 560

posted 26 March 2008 10:16 AM      Profile for Michelle   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Looks like the SLAPP-happy media empire isn't stopping at Adbusters and The Tyee...

quote:
SERIOUSLY FREE SPEECH COMMITTEE
Seriously Free Speech Committee, PO Box 57112, RPO East Hastings Street,
Vancouver, B.C., V5K 5G6
Email: [email protected] -- Website: www.seriouslyfreespeech.ca
_____________________________

Don't Let Canwest SLAPP Briemberg and YOU !

Imagine you go to a public meeting on the Middle East; you see a humorous parody of the local daily, pick up a few copies and hand them out. Six months later you are served with a writ of summons that charges you with producing the parody, that threatens to cost you tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees, that takes up hundreds of hours of your time and aims to prevent you from expressing your opinions in future.

Impossible? A Kafkaesque fantasy? This is what is happening to Mordecai Briemberg in Vancouver today and we need your help to stop it.

In early June, 2007, a parody of The Vancouver Sun newspaper was produced and copies distributed. The parody, a slim four-page edition, coincided with the 40th year of the continuous Israeli occupation of territories it conquered in the 1967 war. The parody focused on the biased media coverage of Israel/Palestine in The Vancouver Sun.

What happened?

Mordecai Briemberg attended a meeting at the Vancouver Public Library to commemorate the event and to oppose the continuing occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. At the end of the meeting, on a table, was a pile of tabloid sheets- one sheet, four sides, which parodied The Vancouver Sun -- Vancouver's leading daily and a Canwest publication. We cannot show you the parody without risking being sued ourselves, although we can send you the text of what was in it. So the chill begins.

The banner at the top of the front page dates the issue as Occupation Day, June 2007. In place of the usual Seriously Westcoast since 1912 appears "Seriously Zionist since 2001", the first full year of Canwest ownership. The parody has a lead article by "P. Rupa Ghanda" titled "Celebrating 40 Years of Civilizing The West Bank".

Another article by Cyn Sorsheep is titled "Study Shows Truth Biased Against Israel". In these and other articles, including mock ads, there are criticisms of Israeli policies in occupied Palestine and a critique of the Canwest media's pro-Israel policies.

On the inside page there is a box with the headline, "Who Produced This Vancouver Sun Parody and Why?" It attributes the authorship of the tabloid to the "Palestine Media Collective, a group of direct action media critics concerned about mainstream media coverage of the situation in the Middle East." It includes a list of "Some Alternative Media Sources on the Middle East". It is cleverly done, although it is not a very challenging exercise in media analysis to realize this is not the "real" Vancouver Sun, any more than the "Jean Chrétien" or "Stephen Harper" heard on CBC's Air Farce were or are the Prime Minister.

There is a long and honourable history of satire and parody as a tool of political criticism and comment from Hogarth and Daumier in the 19th century to Rick Mercer and Stephen Colbert.

Mordecai was amused by the parody, picked up a handful of copies from a table and distributed them at a bus stop near his home. That was the sole extent of his involvement.

Legal Suit

The Canwest suit lists a print shop and Mordecai as named defendants, and then pads the list out with six unnamed defendants: John Doe #1, John Doe #2, John Doe #3, and Jane Doe #1, Jane Doe #2, Jane Doe #3. While ostensibly centering on a commercial violation of trade mark, the charges read like a political attack. They assert that Mordecai and the six John/Jane Doe defendants have been involved in "anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian media activities", and have written or spoken "harshly critical of the State of Israel and of the plaintiff and anyone who publishes articles or views which the defendants perceive to be contrary to their own views". In Canwest's Writ of Summons, Mordecai's name is repeatedly linked to Canada Palestine Support Network, a group that is not even alleged to have anything to do with the parody. They demand a sweeping variety of remedies including an injunction restraining the defendants from "publishing injurious falsehoods by way of newspapers or other publications, on the internet or otherwise".

Is Canwest to be the arbiter of "falsehood"? Imagine the implications of that for the Charter right to free speech. Galileo had a similar problem with the Pope on the question of whether the sun revolved around the earth or vice versa.

Answering the accusation of being involved with the creation of the parody, Mordecai responds, "I have always been proud to publish anything I have to say under my own name, and to hold myself accountable for my words, ideas and actions. But, I had nothing to do with the conception, creation, production and financing of this satire and have no idea who did".

The lawyer for Canwest has confirmed in writing that they have no documents whatsoever showing Mordecai Briemberg's involvement in any of the allegations made against him. Yet Canwest still refuses to drop their suit! So, for the act of picking up and distributing a handful of parodied copies of the Vancouver Sun, lying on a table at a public meeting, Mordecai has been taken to court by a media giant with unlimited financial resources and a big time grudge against any criticism of Israel.

Why Mordecai Briemberg?

Mordecai Briemberg is a long time activist in peace and social justice causes. His activism goes back to the early sixties when he joined the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament as a student in the UK on a Rhodes scholarship. Continuing this anti-nuclear work, he was a public part of the international campaign to free the Israeli nuclear whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu and contributed to the creation of a professional theatrical production about him.

He has a long involvement with anti-racism work: in Canada combating racism against first nations peoples and immigrants, internationally against apartheid in South Africa. And this includes combating the racism of Israeli state policies and practices against Palestinians.

Mordecai has written for magazines and papers, published research, spoken at union conventions, churches, peace forums, universities and colleges, been interviewed on television and radio, interviewed others on radio, organized demonstrations, organized public meetings for, among many others, internationally renowned Palestinians like the poet Mahmoud Darwish and the intellectual activist Dr. Naseer Aruri, Jewish-Israelis like the late Professor Israel Shahak, chairman of the Israeli League for Human and Civil Rights and Michel Warshawsky founder of the Alternative Information Center.

In short, Mordecai has been a prominent, vocal and effective voice in the intense debate about how to achieve peace and justice for Palestinians and Jews in historic Palestine. That is why they are going after him!

Who is CANWEST?

Canwest is the largest media conglomerate in Canada. What they don't own is a shorter list than what they do. They describe themselves as "Canada's largest publisher of paid English-language paid English-language daily newspapers with an estimated weekly readership of 4.8 million people. Our papers include the National Post, ten major-market dailies and several community newspapers." They own the Global television network, the History, Food and Showcase channels and through various shareholdings are involved with many more outlets in every medium. If you read or watch the news, chances are just about certain, you read or watch Canwest news. In Vancouver, where this case is based, they own about seventy percent of the news outlets- from dailies to weeklies to television.

The company is owned by the Asper family of Winnipeg. Founder Israel (Izzy) Asper died a few years ago and the company is now in the hands of his son Leonard. Father and son were/are passionate Zionists and make sure that what they own echoes what they think. In an interview in the Jerusalem Post in August of 2003, Izzy Asper stated: "In all our newspapers we have a very pro-Israel position - we are the strongest supporter of Israel in Canada."

For more about these folks and their political views you can look for The Asper Nation- a book by Marc Edge, published by New Star Books or The Tyee on line issue of Nov, 23, 2007 - "The Asper Slam on News Media," one of three Tyee excerpts from Marc Edge's book.

Why should I care?

If you believe in freedom of expression on any topic and have ever expressed a view contrary to the status quo you should care a whole bunch. This is what has been called a *SLAPP suit - Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation. The concept and acronym were coined in the eighties to describe a tactic used by the rich and powerful, governments or corporations, to bully critics and shut down public discussion by threatening dissidents with legal costs and broad prohibitions against speaking out.

If they can bully Mordecai, they can bully you! Whatever the subject, whatever you say, Canwest's actions set a dangerous precedent for any and all who express an opinion someone with money disagrees with. Canadian troops in Afghanistan? Environmental issues? Aboriginal rights? Tasers in the hands of the police? You name it; they can sue you. They may not win but it will cost you plenty in time, money and the stress of wondering if that article or speech will land you in a whole mess of trouble. Its intent is to bully those who don't own media conglomerates and have legions of lawyers on retainer, i.e. YOU!

What can I do?

* Don’t let Canwest intimidate you into silence. Get this document, electronically and in hardcopy, out to as many people as you can, in all walks of life, so that those who share a commitment to defend, maintain, and use the democratic right of free speech know of this case.

* Sign our statement demanding Canwest drop its legal suit against Mordecai Briemberg and stop its harassment. Encourage others to do likewise. You can sign-up online at [email protected] .

* Write letters to Canwest and mail them c/o their lawyer: David Church, Church & Company, 900-1040 West Georgia Street, Vancouver British Columbia, V6C 3H4, Canada. Please copy Seriously Free Speech Committee with your letters.

* Join the Seriously Free Speech Committee if you live in greater Vancouver.

Contact us at:
Seriously Free Speech Committee,
PO Box 57112,
RPO East Hastings Street,
Vancouver, B.C.,
V5K 5G6
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.seriouslyfreespeech.ca

* Contribute financially to help defray the unavoidable legal costs. Make donations payable to: "Seriously Free Speech Committee" and mail them to the address noted above.


Where can I find out more?

We have a dossier on the case which includes the text of the parody, the writ, background materials on Canwest and the Aspers, etc. We will be happy to send it to you in either electronic or hard copy. This and more information will be posted on our web site noted above.

In solidarity,

Brian Campbell and Jef Keighley
Co-Chairs, Seriously Free Speech Committee

Who is the Seriously Free Speech Committee?

The Seriously Free Speech Committee (SFSC) has been formed specifically to counter a politically motivated campaign by the Canwest media group to punish and silence Mordecai Briemberg because of his long-time public advocacy for what he believes to be the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. The founding core of the SFCC are individuals within Greater Vancouver involved in progressive political work both domestically and internationally The SFSC does not advocate for any particular analysis of the contentious issues concerning Israeli and Palestinian rights and practices; nor are we proposing some single, specific resolution of this humanly costly conflict. Rather the committee unites around a commitment to advocate for open and public discussion of these issues. When a broad spectrum of perspectives and information are made available for consideration -- free of harassment, intimidation or censorship -- people at large can reflect on these and draw their own conclusions. The SFSC recognizes that monopolization of media ownership in our society is antithetical to the expression and sharing of diverse opinions. The Seriously Free Speech Committee welcomes all who broadly agree with our aims and perspective to support and join this work to achieve success.


[Edited because I never get those ei/ie names right! ]

[ 26 March 2008: Message edited by: Michelle ]


From: I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell. | Registered: May 2001  |  IP: Logged
Left Turn
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 8662

posted 30 March 2008 02:05 AM      Profile for Left Turn     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Facebook: Seriously Free Speech Committee

I would encourage any babbler who are on facebook to join the Seriously Free Speech Committe Facebook Group, to show solidarity with Mordecai Briemberg in face of this horrific lawsuit from Canwest. Mordecai Briemberg has been a tireless supporter of the Palestinian people. He deserves as much support as he can get in his time of need. It would be a terrible loss if his voice is silenced.


From: Burnaby, BC | Registered: Mar 2005  |  IP: Logged
Michelle
Moderator
Babbler # 560

posted 30 March 2008 02:11 AM      Profile for Michelle   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Thanks. Did it.
From: I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell. | Registered: May 2001  |  IP: Logged
Frustrated Mess
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 8312

posted 30 March 2008 03:58 PM      Profile for Frustrated Mess   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
SLAPPs are becoming the M.O. of the lobby industry:

quote:
Public Statement and grounds for Libel

Using pesticide 'pros' red herring
Posted 5 days ago

A grandmother, I am also retired intelligence analyst and recently honourary Canadian observer with a pesticide committee in Washington.

In a Standard-Freeholder blog entitled "Courts going soft on crime" posted by Claude McIntosh and updated on Feb. 13, he suggests that "the real problem when it comes to using pesticides on private property is that many people are overdosing their lawns instead of learning the proper procedure or hiring a professional."

I live in condo townhouse and I have seen "professionals" employed by a well-know franchise in action: dressed in flimsy, short-sleeved shirts, themselves entirely unprotected, pouring down literally tonnes of the commonly used but horrible PAR III and turning our condo full of small children into a toxic battlefield, as it were, for about three weeks.

The owners finally rebelled and forced our board to stop this outrageous herbicide warfare, hopefully for good. We await the province-wide ban with great interest, as promised.

Most important, using proper procedures and hiring professional applicators to do the job properly is a red herring. The products are inherently toxic, often when used in tiny quantities. The chemicals are intended to kill and kill whether applied by professionals or not, and - as demonstrated above - the so-called "professionalism" of commercial applicators is seriously in doubt.

K. Jean Cottam, PhD,

Nepean

Copyright © 2008 The Cornwall Standard Freeholder

I understand that you are questioning the "professionalism" of my clients, someone will be sending you a formal letter. We are currently reviewing your other submissions across the country. The letter will be posted on this site.



Link

[ 30 March 2008: Message edited by: Frustrated Mess ]


From: doom without the gloom | Registered: Feb 2005  |  IP: Logged
Michelle
Moderator
Babbler # 560

posted 30 March 2008 05:38 PM      Profile for Michelle   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Oh my aching back, it's a KINGSTON board, too. God but I don't miss that place when I read some of the comments there. Luckily, not everyone in Kingston is a right-wing, anti-environmentalist moron. But you'd never know it from the horrible town planning and suburban strip mall hell sprawl that has taken over the city like a disease.

Hopefully this woman will tell anyone who tries to SLAPP her to stuff it up his or her ass sideways. I get the impression that she isn't easily bullied anyhow.

[ 30 March 2008: Message edited by: Michelle ]


From: I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell. | Registered: May 2001  |  IP: Logged
contrarianna
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posted 04 April 2008 10:29 AM      Profile for contrarianna     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Where, if anywhere, is PEN Canada on the Mordecai Briemberg SLAPP?

[ 04 April 2008: Message edited by: contrarianna ]


From: here to inanity | Registered: Aug 2006  |  IP: Logged
Michelle
Moderator
Babbler # 560

posted 28 May 2008 06:02 PM      Profile for Michelle   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Holy crap. Go to the "Leo McGrady" video here, and see what CanWest has tried to get out of Briemberg during discovery. (McGrady is Briemberg's lawyer.) It's positively McCarthyist. For those not up on the case, the "June 6th meeting" referred to is a public forum where the Vancouver Sun parodies were brought by whomever made them (not Mordecai), and where Mordecai saw them, got a kick out of them, grabbed a few, and handed them out the next day.

I'm going to quote him reading the list of demands for information that the CanWest lawyers have given them. Read these and tell me this isn't a SLAPP suit. What a bunch of pricks. We need anti-SLAPP legislation YESTERDAY.

This is a fabulous video - you should watch it, and the one of Mordecai himself too.

quote:
Now, we moved to an examination for discovery on May the first. And I want to just give you an idea of the breadth of the tort of conspiracy and some of these other torts, and the kinds of information that CanWest has demanded that Mordecai produce. And there's 11 of them.

1. Any documents, correspondence or e-mails relating to the June 6th forum.

There's reference on the four page document to a Chapters-Indigo boycott you might be familiar with. So what they've asked number 2 for is:

2. Where that notice came from and how it ended up on Canpalnet's web site where it's also found.

3. The name of the artist that prepared the brochure for the June 6th forum.

It's quite a wonderful piece of art that was used to advertise that forum, and they want to know who produced it. Maybe they want to buy his or her work, for their collection. It would look wonderful in CanWest's corporate office.

4. They want to know who was responsible for the postings on the Canpalnet web site dealing with the June 6th forum, during the entire months of May and June, 2007.

6. Who participated in the preparation for the forum?

Number seven, a bit bizarre, but...

7. Is Carol Moiseiwitsch on the Seriously Free Speech Committee?

Anybody know?

8. Who was on the Seriously Free Speech Committee?

And if disclosure was refused, counsel has indicated that he would seek a court order for those names. And disclosure is refused. And was refused, and will be refused. And sitting there in discovery when counsel for CanWest peppered Mordecai with these questions reminded me a little bit, or brought to mind what it must have been like sitting as counsel during the McCarthy hearings in the 1950's, where you were asked to provide names, and it was just bizarre to think that we live in a society where that kind of conduct is permitted, and may or may not be backed up by court order.

9. Who prepared or assisted in the preparation of a number of drawings on the site?

And number ten and eleven are extraordinary.

10. The names, addresses, e-mail addresses and telephone numbers for anyone whose name who is sought above.

So um...and then 11 is the most bizarre of all, was saved until the last:

11. Who have you spoken to about this case?

(Audience laughs loudly)

Now, there's no question that this is a SLAPP suit, and we've seen a disturbing increase in the frequency of these suits in BC and Canada in recent months.



From: I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell. | Registered: May 2001  |  IP: Logged
Michelle
Moderator
Babbler # 560

posted 05 June 2008 02:54 PM      Profile for Michelle   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Okay. Here is the ENTIRE list of questions that Canwest is trying to get out of Briemberg and his lawyers under discovery. It's so McCarthyist, it's scary. Seriously, look at these, particularly the ones I've bolded:

quote:
*FURTHER REQUESTS & DOCUMENTATION FROM THE EXAMINATION FOR DISCOVERY OF MORDECAI
BRIEMBERG*

1. Produce any documentation, correspondence, or internal emails of Canpalnet that relate to the organization and presentation of the forum on June 6, 2007.

2. Where did the Chapters/Indigo boycott notice and brochure come from? How did they end up on the Canpalnet site at or about the same time as Exhibit 1 was produced?

3. Who was responsible for administering the website on or about June 6, 2007? Who put up the notice? Who generated the artwork for the notice? Who generated the artwork for the brochure?

4. Who was the artist that prepared the presentation in the brochure for the June 6, 2007 forum? How did Canpalnet configure the brochure and the notice? Provide me with all the information Canpalnet or you can obtain on who prepared that artwork on Canpalnet on the June 6, 2007 forum.

5. Who was responsible for the postings on Canpalnet in May and June 2007? Who was involved in the consultation with respect to the posting of the notices regarding the June 6, 2007 forum and the “Boycott Chapters/Indigo” notice and brochure?

6. Who was in Canpalnet in May and June 2007? Who participated in the preparation for or presentation of the June 6, 2007 forum?

7. Carel Moiseiwitsch – have any of her drawings found their way on to Canpalnet?

8. Is Carel Moiseiwitsch on the defence committee? Who was on your defence committee? Provide me with the name of anybody you have spoken to about the case apart from public interviews? What have you spoken to them about? I want to know if you have spoken to any of the people I have listed so far about the case and in what respect; what was said and when?

9. Who was on the Seriously Free Speech Committee?

10. Does the committee intend publishing anything under the name of any of the Canwest periodicals? I would like you to ask the committee this. Is the committee or any of its members planning anything of that sort?

11. That inquiry includes a parody edition or anything that would improperly use a Canwest name.

12. Can you confirm that Exhibit 6 was from the Canpalnet website?

13. Who arranged to have the graphics that appear on Exhibits 5, 6 and 7 done? Who did the graphics? How was it commissioned? What were the terms of use? Who used it? Was it used in any modified form elsewhere in or about May and June 2007?

14. Who at Canpalnet was at meetings of the co-operative group listed at the foot of Exhibit 7? Did they keep any notes? Was there any email or other correspondence or communications relating to the preparation of the layout and in particular, the graphic? Who prepared the graphic and the terms of use of the graphic?

15. I would like you to make the inquiry either within Canpalnet or your co-operative group, identified in Exhibit 7, and tell me whose drawing it is in Exhibits 5, 6 and 7 and Exhibit 1, page 3.

16. Confirm for me that the individuals on Canpalnet publishing the Chapters/Indigo logo knew that it was the Chapters and Indigo logo and intended that it be virtually identical to that logo?

17. Is Canpalnet generally indifferent to the issue as to whether they are publishing the logos or business logos and get-ups of various businesses? Or was it done intentionally as part of the “Boycott Chapters and Indigo”?

18. Did you have occasion to be communicating with ISM in May and June 2007 about the events described in Exhibit 10 or any related events? Was there any communication, exchange or information or exchange of graphics?

19. Where did the graphic that appeared on the Canpalnet site come from; did it originate with ISM or elsewhere?

20. Provide me with the contact information, address, phone number, email or otherwise for the individuals I listed to you this morning. If you have it accessible readily through Canpalnet or any of your other organizations, including Stop War or your connections with ISM, I would like to have that, or your connections with your free speech committee.

21. I want all of the documents relating to the Seriously Free Speech Committee, any minutes of any meetings, communications, agendas, attendances as well as the membership list, their addresses and contact numbers.


[ 05 June 2008: Message edited by: Michelle ]


From: I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell. | Registered: May 2001  |  IP: Logged
remind
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posted 05 June 2008 04:56 PM      Profile for remind     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
wow, truly incredible, number 16 is actually a closed question.
From: "watching the tide roll away" | Registered: Jun 2004  |  IP: Logged
Michelle
Moderator
Babbler # 560

posted 05 June 2008 05:34 PM      Profile for Michelle   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Personally, I find the last two the scariest.
From: I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell. | Registered: May 2001  |  IP: Logged
Michelle
Moderator
Babbler # 560

posted 22 July 2008 08:35 PM      Profile for Michelle   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
M. Spector posted an update here.
From: I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell. | Registered: May 2001  |  IP: Logged
M. Spector
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 8273

posted 22 July 2008 08:42 PM      Profile for M. Spector   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Sorry, Michelle.

I did a babble search for the words Vancouver Sun parody and nothing turned up.


From: One millihelen: The amount of beauty required to launch one ship. | Registered: Feb 2005  |  IP: Logged
Skinny Dipper
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Babbler # 11459

posted 23 July 2008 08:37 AM      Profile for Skinny Dipper   Author's Homepage        Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
WWJD? Change that to "What would Ezra do?"

I remember collecting Wacky Pack cards in the 1970's. These are now called Wacky Packages. One can buy cards that advertise Canaduh Dry, Frosted Snakes, Foolgers, and ENLISTerine.

I know that these cards do not represent the real products. I know that these cards do not represent real products of their own. Believe me. I have no plans to buy Frosted Snakes. Had I received the parady of the Vancouver Sun, I think I would have been intelligent to know that the parody was not the real thing.


From: Ontarian for STV in BC | Registered: Dec 2005  |  IP: Logged
Ken Burch
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posted 23 July 2008 09:11 AM      Profile for Ken Burch     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Maybe CanWest was upset because they're actually PLANNING to reduce the size of each issue to four pages(three of them advertising)after the next round of mass layoffs.
From: A seedy truckstop on the Information Superhighway | Registered: Feb 2005  |  IP: Logged
Skinny Dipper
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Babbler # 11459

posted 23 July 2008 10:04 AM      Profile for Skinny Dipper   Author's Homepage        Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
I'm wondering if I should stop my Beijing Olympic Boycott. I could be SLAPPed by Ronald McDonald and all his friends.

http://skinnydips.blogspot.com/2008/03/boycott-beijing-olympics-sponsors.html


From: Ontarian for STV in BC | Registered: Dec 2005  |  IP: Logged
contrarianna
rabble-rouser
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posted 24 July 2008 09:18 AM      Profile for contrarianna     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
What is also at issue here is the changing nature of censorship--A subject which needs much rethinking on the part of those so-called guardians of free expression, such as PEN Canada.

Antiquated is the notion that the only censorship worth the name comes from the state.
Well, if these guardians have not noticed, media concentration and corporate agendas are the greatest threat to the free flow of information and ideas in liberal democracies.

The Canwest Slapp suit, despite the formality of copyright litigation, in effect, serves the same function as litigation against proscribed ideas by the state.

Credit to the BC Civil Liberties for its statement:

"Wednesday, April 23, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Civil Liberties Group Calls on CanWest to Drop its Legal Action
Against Accused Satirists

In an open letter, the B.C. Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) is calling on CanWest to drop its
lawsuit against Mordecai Briemberg and a local publisher, Horizons Publications over an
alleged trademark infringement based on a mock edition of the Vancouver Sun.

The publication, a satirical paper printed and distributed in the Lower Mainland last June,
parodied the layout and look of the Vancouver Sun while mocking the paper’s perceived bias in
favour of the state of Israel and against Palestinians.

The BCCLA views the CanWest lawsuit to be an ill-advised attempt by CanWest to use the
courts to silence satirical criticism and constrain fair comment...."


From: here to inanity | Registered: Aug 2006  |  IP: Logged
Ambrose
recent-rabble-rouser
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posted 26 July 2008 01:58 PM      Profile for Ambrose     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by Michelle:
[QB]
Imagine you go to a public meeting on the Middle East; you see a humorous parody of the local daily, pick up a few copies and hand them out. Six months later you are served with a writ of summons that charges you with producing the parody, that threatens to cost you tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees, that takes up hundreds of hours of your time and aims to prevent you from expressing your opinions in future.
[QB]

O.K., I am imagining myself at a public gathering in the Middle East. I see a humorous parody of the local daily...oh, let's say, for example, that bastion of unbiased reporting, the Palestinian Times (http://www.ptimes.org/main/).

I am now trying to imagine the reaction when I try to distribute the parody among the locals.

Somehow, I have a difficult time imagining that I am going to be slapped with a lawuit for copyright infringement. I have no trouble, however, imagining that I might be lynched and perhaps even stoned to death.

I am no fan of Canwest's recent legal action, but I do believe that in these discussions of "free speech," some perspective is in order.


From: Vancouver | Registered: Jul 2008  |  IP: Logged
Michelle
Moderator
Babbler # 560

posted 26 July 2008 02:00 PM      Profile for Michelle   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Hi, you're off topic, and furthermore, keep your racist shit off our web site. This thread is about a SLAPP suit against Mordecai Briemberg.

[ 26 July 2008: Message edited by: Michelle ]


From: I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell. | Registered: May 2001  |  IP: Logged
Ambrose
recent-rabble-rouser
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posted 26 July 2008 03:22 PM      Profile for Ambrose     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Hi, you're off topic, and furthermore, keep your racist shit off our web site. This thread is about a SLAPP suit against Mordecai Briemberg.

Hello.

I am not sure how you consider me to be "off topic" when I was replying directly to a statement you made on your original post inviting us to imagine a particular hypothetical situation. I do not view my response as being unreasonable, in light of what we have observed elsewhere (e.g., the notorious Danish cartoons).

By the way, I am also not sure how my reply could in any way be construed as "racist." Moreover, I had no idea that you had some sort of special property right over "your" website; forgive me for intruding.

The point I was trying to make (unsuccessfully, it appears) is that the discussion here might be better served by toning down the rhetoric a bit. Some perspective is in order. I much prefer the tone set down by the BCCLA; e.g.,

http://www.bccla.org/othercontent/08briemberg.htm

Thank you.


From: Vancouver | Registered: Jul 2008  |  IP: Logged
unionist
rabble-rouser
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posted 26 July 2008 03:28 PM      Profile for unionist     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by Ambrose:
By the way, I am also not sure how my reply could in any way be construed as "racist."

That makes you ignorant as well as racist. It's hard to find such a blatant combination outside a university.


From: Vote QS! | Registered: Dec 2005  |  IP: Logged
remind
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 6289

posted 26 July 2008 03:38 PM      Profile for remind     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by Ambrose:
By the way, I am also not sure how my reply could in any way be construed as "racist."

Here ya go, as it seems you cannot read, or perhaps comprehend, what you said:

quote:
I have no trouble, however, imagining that I might be lynched and perhaps even stoned to death

That's racist!
quote:
Moreover, I had no idea that you had some sort of special property right over "your" website;
She is the moderator.

quote:
forgive me for intruding.
Now that is just plain passive aggressive bs.
quote:
The point I was trying to make (unsuccessfully, it appears) is that the discussion here might be better served by toning down the rhetoric a bit. Some perspective is in order. I much prefer the tone set down by the BCCLA; e.g.,
In case you had not noticed, this is a web forum, not the BCCLA.

[ 26 July 2008: Message edited by: remind ]


From: "watching the tide roll away" | Registered: Jun 2004  |  IP: Logged
Ambrose
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posted 26 July 2008 03:48 PM      Profile for Ambrose     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Dear Unionist:

I plead guilty to your charge of ignorance, but I assure you that I do not have a racist bone in my body.

I am curious to know which "race" I may have offended with my comment? It is my understanding (and I may be wrong) that the Middle East is populated by many different races. My prediction about the local response was cast in reference to the prevailing religious/institutional regimes that are common in that area. They do not appear to me to be very tolerant of free speech. I ask you to honestly consider how the locals in that region might have confronted you if you were to parody one of their newspapers. I would venture to guess that you would have been treated far more roughly than a simple lawsuit. But perhaps you can set me straight on this.

Thank you.


From: Vancouver | Registered: Jul 2008  |  IP: Logged
remind
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posted 26 July 2008 03:53 PM      Profile for remind     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Apparently lacking self awareness is also one of your attributes.
From: "watching the tide roll away" | Registered: Jun 2004  |  IP: Logged
Ambrose
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posted 26 July 2008 04:04 PM      Profile for Ambrose     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Michelle,

I apologize for all of this. It seems that the discussion has indeed strayed from its main topic. I did not mean for this to happen. The best thing to do is for me to leave this thread now, as it appears that I am not very welcome here.

We can at the very least all agree that Canwest should drop its ridiculious charges against MB. Let's hope this happens.

A


From: Vancouver | Registered: Jul 2008  |  IP: Logged
unionist
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posted 26 July 2008 04:10 PM      Profile for unionist     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by Ambrose:
I am curious to know which "race" I may have offended with my comment?

You're quite right, I'm sorry. You're obviously one of those arrogant pseudo-intellectuals who read a little about "race" once but can't recall what the conclusions were.

I'm sorry for calling you a racist. I should perhaps have chosen my words more carefully. Your very first post on babble was xenophobic, anti-Arab, Islamophobic, stereotypical, provocative, typically pro-Israeli pandering hatemongering. But not racist. After all, if someone of that race were a real schmuck, you no doubt would make allowances for their humorous pigmentation and share a cocktail with them.


From: Vote QS! | Registered: Dec 2005  |  IP: Logged
Farmpunk
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posted 27 July 2008 04:59 PM      Profile for Farmpunk     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Unionist: "That makes you ignorant as well as racist. It's hard to find such a blatant combination outside a university."

That should be in the babble hall of fame.

Here's a link for someone like me who's new to the story. Link


From: SW Ontario | Registered: Jul 2006  |  IP: Logged
contrarianna
rabble-rouser
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posted 31 July 2008 09:23 AM      Profile for contrarianna     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Thanks for the Straight article link, FP.
It leads to another linked article which puts CanWest's delicate sensitivity to "copyright infringement" in context:GlobalTV.com copies xtra.ca article-full story

"MEDIA / Ironic, given CanWest's recent copyright disputes
Brent Creelman / Xtra.ca / Tuesday, June 03, 2008

"CanWest has made a reputation for crying foul over copyright infringement. So an observer could be forgiven for being confused to learn that Canada's largest media conglomerate has re-printed an xtra.ca story without permission.

GlobalTV.com has lifted content from xtra.ca word-for-word and without compensation or credit to the freelancer who wrote it.
...

"It's this mentality of 'I'm big enough to do anything I want and you're small enough to be pushed around,'" he says.

The BC Civil Liberties Association is calling on CanWest to drop the lawsuit against Briemberg and the printing press.

"Whether successful or not, the case works against the principles of press freedom that support CanWest's media operations across Canada," says BCCLA spokesperson Tom Sandborn. "Too often, the mere threat of court action is enough to stifle public debate or satirical expression.""


From: here to inanity | Registered: Aug 2006  |  IP: Logged
Michelle
Moderator
Babbler # 560

posted 25 October 2008 05:24 AM      Profile for Michelle   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Ha! Ha!

quote:
With advertising down at its newspapers and contributions from its Australian television holdings fading, TD Newcrest says CanWest Global Communications Inc.'s shares aren't worth the risk.

“Given that the equity value has been virtually wiped out and considering the poor visibility of the future value of the company ... we have reached a point where the risk/reward does not work for us,” analyst Michael Elkins wrote in a note to clients Monday.

Mr. Elkins cut his rating to “reduce” from “speculative buy,” and dropped his 12-month price target to $1 from $3.50. Eleven analysts follow the shares, according to Bloomberg, with an average 12-month price target of $2.16.


And the most recent news is that it's now a penny stock - it's below one dollar a share!

Ha ha ha!


From: I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell. | Registered: May 2001  |  IP: Logged
contrarianna
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posted 25 October 2008 02:46 PM      Profile for contrarianna     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Oh No.
What will happen to competition and choice with only one national paper left to endorse Harper?

From: here to inanity | Registered: Aug 2006  |  IP: Logged
Tommy_Paine
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posted 25 October 2008 03:19 PM      Profile for Tommy_Paine     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
I could be wrong, but I don't think the National Pest has ever turned a nickle.
From: The Alley, Behind Montgomery's Tavern | Registered: Apr 2001  |  IP: Logged
remind
rabble-rouser
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posted 25 October 2008 04:18 PM      Profile for remind     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
What does this mean:
quote:
“Conventional television remains under secular pressure in our view as do major market daily newspapers.

From: "watching the tide roll away" | Registered: Jun 2004  |  IP: Logged
contrarianna
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 13058

posted 25 October 2008 05:27 PM      Profile for contrarianna     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by remind:
What does this mean:

The not usual use of "secular" here is more specific to economics, meaning "persisting over a period of time"


From: here to inanity | Registered: Aug 2006  |  IP: Logged
remind
rabble-rouser
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posted 25 October 2008 05:31 PM      Profile for remind     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Thank you contrarianna, makes much more sense now.
From: "watching the tide roll away" | Registered: Jun 2004  |  IP: Logged
M. Spector
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posted 09 November 2008 12:01 AM      Profile for M. Spector   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Canwest drops lawsuit against Mordecai Briemberg
From: One millihelen: The amount of beauty required to launch one ship. | Registered: Feb 2005  |  IP: Logged
Michelle
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posted 09 November 2008 03:37 AM      Profile for Michelle   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Fabulous news!

But the fight isn't over. The other two who actually DID produce the parody are still being SLAPPed, and need support while they fight it.


From: I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell. | Registered: May 2001  |  IP: Logged

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