One of the things that made Liberalism popular was the idea that people should be free. You were free to have your own thoughts and opinions. which included the freedom to say those things. Freedom of Speech or to use an older term Freedom of Conscience. This included symbols, which included flags, insignia, stickers and all manner of things. But it seems that Liberalism is abandoning these principles.
Liberalism has done this before with Freedom of Association. In the early 1800’s workers tried to form unions to campaign for better wages and conditions. But the government said no, unions were clubs for radicals and revolutionaries. The workers argued that they had the right to associate with whomever they wished. The government passed laws saying that that just wasn’t true and men who broke those laws were punished. Liberals said that people did have a right to freely associate with the people that they wished to associate. In time they won that fight and the law was changed, freedom of association was the law of the land. But in the 1950’s and 60’s that right was taken away, because freedom of association also meant that you didn’t have to associate with people if you didn’t want to. Freedom of Association is now banned, you cannot stop people from associating with you because you don’t want to associate with them, instead now we are told that everyone is equal and interchangeable.
Principles that Liberalism said were universal and true at all times in all places and for all people it seems can be changed.
Australia’s Jewish Attorney-General announced this week that a new law would be introduced to Parliament to ban Nazi symbols from public display and sale in Australia. Anyone who breaks this could face up to 12 months in prison. This follows similar laws that various states have passed.
This is being passed as an Anti-Terrorism law, but on the Attorney-General Department’s webpage on Counter terrorism laws, it states:
Terrorist acts
A terrorist act is an act, or a threat to act, that meets both these criteria:
- it intends to coerce or influence the public or any government by intimidation to advance a political, religious or ideological cause.
- it causes one or more of the following:
- death, serious harm or danger to a person
- serious damage to property
- a serious risk to the health or safety of the public
- serious interference with, disruption to, or destruction of critical infrastructure such as a telecommunications or electricity network.
Advocating, protesting, dissenting or taking industrial action are not terrorist acts where the person doing the activity does not intend to cause serious harm to a person or create a serious risk to public safety.
Which of these things will banning Nazi symbols stop?
Of course the Uniparty will vote for this and who will vote against it?
Now that will be interesting to note.
Originally published at Upon Hope. You can find Mark’s Subscribestar here.
