Picture by Bosch Fawstin.
Hat tip to Gary.
Libel on tour: James Gill
By James GillWithin minutes Monday a legislative committee repudiated both Islamic and British law.
Neither, perhaps, represents an immediate threat to justice in Louisiana, but it was not entirely an alarmist and xenophobic stunt when the committee approved two bills by Rep. Ernest Wooton, R-Belle Chase. Mostly, but not entirely.
One of Wooton’s bills, which provides that no foreign law shall be applied here if it violates a right guaranteed by the American Constitution, is by any rational measure superfluous. But it is not unknown for immigrant litigants to invoke the tenets of Sharia to which, the committee was told, the Maryland courts deferred in a child custody case.
The Louisiana Supreme Court has so far insisted that cases in America are settled according to American law, but the committee figured it was wise to commit future jurists to that sound principle. At least the bill does no harm.
Wooton’s other bill may be largely symbolic too, although it is worth passing just in case. It does not single out the Limeys, but its refusal to enforce foreign defamation judgments that are “repugnant to the public policy of this state” is clearly aimed at them. Other states have passed, or are considering, similar legislation in response to a libel award rendered in London against the American writer Rachel Ehrenfeld.
It must be embarrassing for the British when American legislators lump them together with the avatars of medieval repression, but plenty of them are evidently aware it is fair, at least in the context of libel law. As a general election approaches, all three major parties in the UK promise to reform laws that have created “libel tourism” on the very island where John Milton wrote the book on press freedom, “Areopagitica.” That was in 1644, so it’s about time the government got the hang of it.
Instead the law enables large corporations or deep-pocketed individuals to stifle freedom of expression far beyond the shores of Britain, increasingly so in the Internet age, as Ehrenfeld discovered when her book “Funding Evil” identified Saudi billionaire Khalid bin Mahfouz as a financial supporter of al-Qaida.
bin Mahfouz was not about to sue in this country and not just because he would have had to contend with the First Amendment. He has such an unsavory past that he would probably have been ruled libel-proof in any case. No need to go into detail here. You can take my word for it. He won’t sue me.
Ehrenfeld’s book was not even published in Britain but, since a few copies had made their way there through Amazon, bin Mahfouz was able to play the libel tourist and take advantage of laws that so favor the plaintiff that the burden of proof is on the defendant.
The costs of defending such suits over there is so high that the mere threat of litigation generally suffices to squelch inconvenient opinions if the slightest grounds exist for British jurisdiction.
Thus plaintiffs rush to the British courts on the slightest pretext, as, for instance, when an Icelandic bank took offense to a story in a Danish tabloid.
Ehrenfeld declined to attend the proceedings in London and was ordered to pay a hefty sum by Justice Eady, the bete noire of British liberals. Eady has done much to galvanize the campaign for libel reform by ruling against an English journalist who asserted there was no evidence to support the miraculous curative powers claimed by chiropractors over there. Eady is so off the wall — he required the journalist to prove that the chiropractors had set out to deceive the public — that he was recently overturned on appeal.
But Ehfrenfeld is the cause célèbre for Americans. New York took the lead in refusing to recognize libel awards from the British courts, and all hail to our legislators for joining in to strike a blow for freedom of expression. Maybe they love the press after all.
It won’t matter much if the next parliament does indeed reform the antique libel law. But our legislators are not dumb enough to rely on promises made in election campaigns.
Oh goody, now The Obaminator will have some one to call racist besides Arizonans….as if the Whitehouse marxist wasn't a racist himself!
He's only half racist 😉
Good. I will be sharing with my 3 state reps/senator. I approached them 2 years ago and they weren't certain what to do, now I can offer them LA and OK as examples. This should also be on every Republican Party Platform – no sharia will be enacted nor tolerated, PERIOD.
Good. I will be sharing with my 3 state reps/senator. I approached them 2 years ago and they weren't certain what to do, now I can offer them LA and OK as examples. This should also be on every Republican Party Platform – no sharia will be enacted nor tolerated, PERIOD.
Thanks for once again, pitching in CD.
Good. I will be sharing with my 3 state reps/senator. I approached them 2 years ago and they weren't certain what to do, now I can offer them LA and OK as examples. This should also be on every Republican Party Platform – no sharia will be enacted nor tolerated, PERIOD.
It will be dropped next session and we are working on Idaho too! Talking to a rep in Idaho right now!
Well, the federal level won't do anything like this.
The individual states need to take up this banning of shari'a law — in every State of the Union.
And every country in the West.
This law is a good step in the right direction. It prevents sharia courts starting up too. Something that the other states in the US should take note of. As should Europe.
Thks makes Arizona and Louisiana the most progressive states in the Union. sharia is an abomination and its advocates desire to establish a parallel society that will gradually undermine the Constitution. We're making headway to insure this disgrace does not occur and we end up destroyed by a movement founded by a pedophile and genocidal sociopath.
Well, the federal level won't do anything like this.
The individual states need to take up this banning of shari'a law — in every State of the Union.
Thks makes Arizona and Louisiana the most progressive states in the Union. sharia is an abomination and its advocates desire to establish a parallel society that will gradually undermine the Constitution. We're making headway to insure this disgrace does not occur and we end up destroyed by a movement founded by a pedophile and genocidal sociopath.
Everyone needs to agitate to have the same or similar law adopted in their own state or country. The arselifters' sharia law should not be allowed to get a toehold in the West.
Everyone needs to agitate to have the same or similar law adopted in their own state or country. The arselifters' sharia law should not be allowed to get a toehold in the West.
Sharia Law has no place in our Constitutional Republic–not now, not ever!! Hurray for Louisiana, and Tennessee! Patriots win one!!
There is only one way to handle sharia and that is to put it way up where the sun does not shine on those who promotes it.
Now this is a bit of good news……another victory.
HB 785 “American and Louisiana Laws for Louisiana Courts” and HB 701 “Free Speech Protection Act” have both passed the Louisiana House of Representatives without one vote in opposition. See video: http://house.louisiana.gov/H_Video/WM/2010/May_20… (time stamp 1:57-2:05)
and Daily Journal http://house.louisiana.gov/H_Journals/H_Journals_… (pages 20-21)
The Louisiana bills can be found at http://www.legis.state.la.us/billdata/streamdocum… andhttp://www.legis.state.la.us/billdata/streamdocum… . Video of testimony before the Louisiana House Civil Law Committee and the Louisiana Senate Judiciary A Committee can be found athttp://house.louisiana.gov/H_Video/WM/2010/April_… andhttp://senate.legis.state.la.us/video/2010/April/… (time stamp 3:06 – 3:30).
Additional testimony before Louisiana Senate Judiciary A Committee:http://senate.legis.state.la.us/Video… (time stamp 4:20 – 14:30)
Thanks for reporting that.
Go to Act for America.org and they have a whole presentation set up for elected officials.
why was my comment about Act for America deleted? it has some good info for elected officials
When did you submit it? There seems to be a problem with the comments. Some spam is getting through and some recent comments aren't showing up. Yours might have gone into moderation. I'm sure Chris will explain.
My reply to you got deleted too. There must be a keyword that triggered the filtering.
Hi Jill,
I didn't delete yours or Gary's comment. They did not go into spam either. Must of been a glitch, sorry about that,
This is indeed good news and a blow against the regressive forces of islam. This should happen in every US state and all foreign countries. Measures like this prevent a return to the middle ages or worse, the 7th century.
Yes it is, and hopefully the law will snowball across the country.
Welcome to the site!
This is one of the brightest things that cold have happen in the state in a long time. There are many issues still to be addressed and made right considering the history of Louisiana, but this ban says alot for the old house, the establishment, you are not asleep.
Islamic Sharia law ban online casino , gambling, Pork eating , music, movies, beer, liquor. No Freedom in Sharia law. So Ban Sharia law in USA and Europe and World.