Freedom: ‘Canada’s nationality’
p2pnet view P2P:- We’re getting there, slowly but surely.
Yesterday at around this time, the kitty for the Wayne Crookes vs The Internet fund stood at $217.
Today’s it’s leapt to $357 !
In case you’re wondering what this is all about, as I posted last time around
“Canada is free and freedom is its nationality”, former Canadian prime minister Wilfred Laurier once said.
Whether or not his words remain true will be decided when the Supreme Court of Canada rules on Crookes vs Newton, the freedom of speech case that’s due to be heard in Ottawa on December 7.
It’ll create a legal precedent which’ll make it clear to everyone, everywhere Canada is indeed a place where freedom and openness are alive and well.
Or Canada will become a black hole in cyberspace, its people forced to communicate in whispers for fear of being sued.
Crookes must be stopped because if he isn’t, the net will become a barren wasteland where people with few, if any, legal or financial resources will be afraid to speak for fear of ending up on the wrong end of a court case like this — a case they won’t be able to defend themselves against, I said last week, going on:
“Is it that serious, that bad? It is.
“My lawyer, Dan Burnett, is providing his skills for free. But I’m currently trying to raise funds to cover our travel and associated legal expenses.”
We estimate we’ll need around $5,000 for direct out-of-pocket costs such as travel, accommodation, legal disbursements.
Crookes [right], owner of three title search companies in BC and the former financier of the federal Green Party of Canada, can easily afford the lawyer and other expenses to effectively press his claims home.
I can’t and so far, my efforts to persuade readers this case is desperately important have raised $217, less PayPal’s cut.
If Crookes wins, it won’t only be me who’ll be losing. Canadians across all boards and in all sectors, public and private, will be facing a Dark Net of the worst kind imaginable, a place where libel tourism, not fairness and openness, is the law of the land.
Crookes says hyper-linking to a story is the same as publishing it, I said in another p2pnet post.
“I’d linked to an item he didn’t like and when he asked me to take it down, I refused”, I said. “He went legal and the case eventually landed before BC Supreme Court judge Stephen Kelleher, who ruled linking is not the same as publishing.
He was given permission to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada and “The decision will be not only be precedent-setting, it’ll quite literally decide whether or not freedom of speech in Canada is a genuine, inalienable right, or just an empty phrase”, I stated.
Please help.
Anything remaining after the case will go to the Make A Wish foundation of Canada. You can also help by spreading the word on Twitter, Slashdot, Facebook, in forums, on your own site, chats, IM, texting …
Cheers! And thanks … 
Jon Newton – p2pnet
September, 2010
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi
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September 29th, 2010 at 2:51 am
I’m really sorry you’re having trouble raising funds, I sent you a banknote in the mail what seems like years ago, when I still had money, so “I already gave” as they say. The problem is, the idea that Crookes could win is so outlandish that no one fears it. Even if, by some legal glitch he was able to have a judgement, it would be fixed as soon as you can say ‘google’.
September 29th, 2010 at 8:50 am
@ Andy:
George W.’s win was outlandish.
Cheers!