A Jewish conspiracy

I think that most conspiracy theories are merely attempts by people to seem more clever than they are -- or certainly more clever than everybody else. They're also a handy way to blame cosmic forces for one's own problems or misfortunes.

Jews have long been at the center of many conspiracy theories.

Including the conspiracy theory that Jews want to censor the speech of their critics.

Unfortunately, on that last one, the Official Jews seem eager to everything possible to make that conspiracy theory seem real.

The Canadian Human Rights Commission's "hate squad" has plenty of Jews, from Harvey Goldberg, to Ian Fine. Irwin Cotler, also Jewish, was a Justice Minister who eagerly prosecuted many hate speech cases. And, of course, many of the section 13 hate speech cases are packed with Jewish interveners -- the Canadian Jewish Congress, B'nai Brith and the Simon Wiesenthal Center. That's a lot of Jews. And even Athanasios Hadjis, the Greek tribunal chair, was in a formal political coalition with the CJC before his appointment.

In other words, as I said at lunch today, Canada's Official Jews seem to be trying their best to prove the conspiracy theory true.

This censorship cabal has certainly persecuted its political enemies, not just in the HRCs, but also under the Criminal Code provisions -- like Jim Keegstra, or David Ahenakew. As I said today, the Jews turned these nobodies into stars.

Men like Ken McVay of Nizkor are perfect antidotes to these conspiracy theories -- in his case, a Gentile volunteer who painstakingly rebuts anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial.

Men like the SWC's Leo Adler feed these conspiracy theories -- in his case, reflexively piling on to any political enemy of the Jews who is caught in some hate speech web.

I'm embarrassed that so many People of the Book are involved in high tech book-burnings. But I'm angry that they're doing so in my name, as a fellow Jew.

It's just a handful of Official Jews; most normal Jews I know are hostile to censorship. But when you call yourself the "Canadian Jewish Congress", you fool a lot of people -- just like something calling itself a "human rights commission" fools a lot of people, too.