Getting back to normal

This morning I was interviewed on the "Mancow" show out of Chicago. It's the second-highest-rated morning show in American radio. When I was on hold waiting for my interview, I listened to the show for a few minutes. I've never heard radio like that before, ever -- extremely fast paced; fun; musical; smart; interactive; hilarious. It was like a mix between Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern and Rick Dees. I loved listening to it, and wish he was on air in Canada, too. You can catch my clip here at 2 hours and 27 minutes into the show. (I was caught off guard by his amazing invitation to join him in Toronto, and it was a bit of a clunker for me to decline on air, but other than that, I think it was a hit.)

I have a few more interesting things coming up regarding the human rights commission, including an interview with the BBC. But I think things are winding down now -- at least until the commission renders its decision on what to do with me: prosecute before a tribunal, or acquit.

I think the commission is in a bit of a pickle: if they prosecute me, they will precipitate another storm of public derision, and perhaps even political action. But if they acquit me -- in the face of my bald-faced contempt for them, and my de facto plea of "guilty!" -- they consent to their own abuse, and set a precedent for others called before them. Had I not videotaped my interrogation, that precedent would not have been known; now it's the most well-known thing about the commission (other than Richard Warman's serial complaints). I really don't know what they'll do. Judging by their molasses pace so far, I should expect to hear back from them some time before 2009.

Now that things have calmed down, I hope to attend to some of the very supportive e-mails that I've received these past weeks. I apologize to my well-wishers that I haven't had time to acknowledge their letters yet, nor to thank the many generous donors to my legal defence fund. I was truly touched by the moral -- and financial -- support I received. It's staggering to me that my Facebook "solidarity group" has over 900 members willing to stand by me. Thank you for that.

I have enjoyed blogging about my ordeal, and hope to keep up with it, at least one entry a day if possible. I'll still continue to write about the human rights commissions as news presents itself, but I plan to start writing about other subjects again, as I did before this deluge. There is a lot going on, with a provincial election imminent in Alberta, a federal election always a possibility, and fascinating developments around the world from the U.S. primaries to new successes in Iraq, to new challenges in places like China and Russia. I hope to talk about all of that -- and to continue to be an advocate for our fundamental freedoms and our western, classical liberal traditions.

I have given more thought to my idea, bruited here a few days ago, of setting up a bloggers' defence fund to protect against both spurious defamation lawsuits (such as those filed by, you guessed it, Richard Warman) and even to human rights commission attacks on political and religious speech, such as those faced by Free Dominion. I spoke with my corporate lawyer today, and if things go well, I hope to incorporate a not-for-profit corporation for that purpose within a month. I have already had two private requests for legal help, but I want to build a proper structure, including proper financial governance and compliance with issues like insurance law, before firing the starting gun. I invite advice on this subject, either in the comments section or privately.

Thanks again to my many friends in the blogosphere who have helped make a difference in the fight for freedom. I'm awed by the power of blogs -- many small voices (and a few big ones) -- united for a common, noble purpose. In the case of illiberal human rights commissions, we have started rolling the big boulder of change, and it's picking up momentum. I can hardly wait to see what happens next.