From: Jason Black 
Subject: Free Speech is a dangerous thing.
Date: Sat, 17 Jan 1998 20:51:39 -0600
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                 Free Speech is a dangerous thing.
                                 By Ernest & Elvena Slump



In a press release Sol Littman of the Simon Wiesenthal Institute called
Oliver BC the Hate Crime Capital of Canada and said BC harbors this
capital. What do they base this claim on? Well, it seems we have a man
who lives in the Okanagan Regional District near this terrible place who
believes in freedom of speech. Bernard Klatt, a quiet, well-spoken man is
the area's resident computer specialist. He has a business licence in
Oliver and Osoyoos issued to his computer business. He also has an
internet service. There is an ongoing furor these days over control of
the internet. Who should control it? How should it be controlled? Certain
special interest groups maintain that free speech on the net should be
curtailed. How did it all start? It started some time ago when a certain
newspaper man in the town of Oliver decided to provide the local slant
and publicity for the  Wiesenthal center and hold Klatt responsible for
the actions of others. Klatt dug his heels in and reiterated that it is
not his responsibility to regulate the Net. That there are adequate
criminal laws in Canada to govern hate crimes. That it is up to the
lawmakers to enforce the laws of Canada. He is not responsible for
governing the net. FTCnet as an ISP sells 'digital paper' -- webspace
(disk space) and digital ink - Internet bandwidth (connection). What you
do with it is entirely your own responsibility.A similar analogy would be
to publicly denigrate the Chairman of Macmillan Bloedel or Crown
Zellerback because they sell paper to American publishers of books that
are banned in Canada. When the Wiesenthal Center made their statement
condemning Oliver as the hate capitol of the world they were referring to
Klatt and the Freedom Site on his server. In their statement they
referred to thirteen sites on his net. They failed to enumerate these
sites. How are people to know who these sites are? Now it so happens that
this paper is on Klatt's site. The blanket smear tactics used by the
Wiesenthal center has blackened the name of every Website registered to
his site. Despite this fact we believe that the Simon Wiesenthal Center
has the right to spread their own brand of vicious hate. But when they
make a mistake they should apologize. It is now time for that apology.
Their failure to do so has blackened the name of The Speaker, a
patriotic, free speech, political newsletter that attempts to awake
Canadians to the changes needed in our political system. It has destroyed
the reputation of 4500 people in the town of Oliver, an area that as part
of the Okanagan Valley depends on the tourist dollar to survive.

As Rafe Mair, Radio talk show host on CKNW said in 1997, "The major
players of the Canadian media only seem to be interested in free speech
when their particular brand of free speech is threatened." Come visit the
Hate Capital of the world thanks to Littman and his group is now how many
people will associate Oliver B.C. Does Littman have the right to destroy
a town or denigrate a townspeople? The dangerous smear tactics used by
special interest groups, disseminating their own brand of hate lingers
like an mouldy aftertaste in the mouth. It's too bad that the Simon
Wiesenthal Special Interest Group has joined this crowd. It leaves one
wondering if now that Oliver is the hate capitol of the world does this
mean that that Germany after 54 years is off the hook?

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