"Fire. Them. All." goes mainstream!

I enjoy signing off of the occasional blog post with the subtle call to arms, "Fire. Them. All." I usually reserve it for stories of particularly egregious conduct on the part of HRCs -- so, basically, a few times a week.

Well, I noticed that John Martin's CanWest Op-Ed signs off with the same slogan! It's a great piece -- one of several that John has written on the subject of HRCs -- and I think that, like me and so many others, he's run out of patience for excuses offered by those who think Canada's HRCs are salvageable.

His latest column focuses on the absurdity of the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal's decision to try comedian Guy Earle for the thought crime of uttering un-funny come-backs to some hecklers at a B.C. night club last year.

Here are some excerpts:

...Most commentators have rightly pointed out that hecklers voluntarily insert themselves into the show and should expect a rough ride; even a rude one. It's also been correctly noted that something has gone terribly wrong for the state to even think it has the moral authority to scrutinize a comedian's act.

...Now, in an ideal world no one would ever be disrespectful to or about anyone. But that's not how it works. Some may applaud that the reverend can never be critical of gays. But a similar ruling could be made in the not too distant future that prohibits criticism of Christians or Americans. The CBC would sure have a tough job filling up its airtime under such a prohibition.

It sounds insane, but at the end of the day it's completely conceivable that Guy Earle could be banned for life from ever making a joke not pre-approved by the Human Rights Tribunal. Many people think they can ignore a tribunal's sentence because it's not a real court. But tribunals register their decision with a real court and they become fully enforceable, just like any court order. A person can be fined into compliance or even jailed.

This is the type of power available to the thugs on the tribunal panels who police our thoughts and words. Mercifully though, there's a simple solution available to Gordon Campbell that could put an end to the disgraceful conduct and abuses of the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal that has become a rallying cry for those opposed to these kangaroo courts.

Fire them all.

I love it!