Tom Flanagan’s media critics leave their spines at the door
Why did Flanagan keep his name on the mailing list of the North American Man/Boy Love Association for two years which he freely admitted despite claiming that someone put him on their mailing list? Doesn't this seem odd to you; wouldn't you cancel it within weeks of receiving the first mailing?
Andrew Glennie
I don't know anything about that situation in particular; perhaps you are not very old, given your moniker, but have you actually ever had to get off a mailing list for anything? I would get circulars for Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth decades after donating a few dollars to them.
Terry
Actually, Flanagan explained the NAMBLA mailing list issue when he first responded to the uproar about his comments. Apparently, he had been doing research on the whole free speech vs. protection of children from exploitation debate years ago and, in so doing, ended up on the mailing list of those degenerates.
True Grit
That's not true. In his Maclean's interview Flanagan said he was on the Northern Foundation mailing list to try and rout racists out of the Reform movement. After the Foundation's dissolution he claimed he started getting neo-Nazi literature and then NAMBLA mailings started. He found it "funny".
noahbody
Kay, the Post should also be ashamed for considering the issue too radioactive to allow comments. Until today. Let's see how long these comments stay up. This is supposed to be a free country.
Ian Fae
In all fairness, the Post isn't the only paper that made that decision. It seems that many media outlets followed the same policy. Perhaps they thought that the vox populi would be a little too crass and vulgar for public consumption.
Bob1957
It is. They are free to leave the comments section open as they see fit. You are free to comment if it is open. They are free to close the comments section. You are free to whine about it. All allowed because this is a free country.
noahbody
And you're free to get lost. Now whine about that.
Kreigschwine
It speaks to the lack of backbone that
commentary will certainly be up for all criticism of left wing and centrists
political and social activity while being 'off' or censured for criticism of a
friend of so many of the editorial staff. And it seems you can't tell the difference
between censoring and happenstance.
Bob1957
It certainly speaks of lefty entitlement that a private business is required to provide a service to them for free. Or that they have the right to dictate terms to the business on how and when that free service is to be delivered.
Andrew McInally
Don't like free. Find a different business model. Most papers including NP are going paywalled so your comment is incorrect. I will no doubt now be declared a "lefty" and discounted now.
r2g2
They do pay you for coming here! Don't you have 'points' saved?
Bob1957
So then you have a subscription to the National Post? Otherwise you are posting for 'free'. Unless you have written agreement from certain advertisers that the reason they are buying ad time is because of the relevance and commercial appeal of your personal comments.
Kreigschwine
I hardly think you would recognize that this newspaper attempts to stand for higher principles and you cannot be faulted for failing to recognize one of them is a high journalistic standard. Protecting a friend who has made a national discrace of his name is inexcusable. But it’s understandable that you would fail to see that, given that for Rightists morality is a convenience. It’s nice to hear one talk of freedom, so long as a Rightist talks about it. So it’s not honour but freedom you aspire to in all things. I got it.
Bob1957
No one has denied your freedom. If you want to discuss this subject last week, there were plenty of media that were willing to listen to your pitchfork and torch rant. But you wish to deprive this newspapers freedom by dictating what they can and not do based on your morality and convenience. You wanted to force your views on people that were unwilling to hear them. So you were denied the opportunity to express those views on someone else's dime.
If that offends you, so be it. I have never believed in the morality of the mob which you seem to belong to.
Bob1957
Your opinion of me has the same value as your comments do to the National Post. Only required when asked for. And I did not ask for your opinion of me.
Kreigschwine
Nor did Nat Post ask for your multiple commentaries from you. Welcome to the unintended consequences of posting opinions Bob. Time to wake up to the real. Oh, and if you don't want my opinion of you, don't post your opinion of me. Or did somebody else using your post-name characterize my morality as mob-like? Tough it out Bob.
Kreigschwine
Are you really stuck in the time period where people still said “newsflashâ€, imitating some half-formed sit-com character, pinching out some dull chuckles from the laugh-track?
**// there Glennie, Baglow was right, at least on the leftist Nat Post. You blew a lot of hot air Glennie. It doesn’t detract from the fact that Nat Post bowed to their baser instincts and forbade commentary until this week. Your issues with fellow travellers to the contrary, nothing you said held the least bit of insight into this issue. Adue.
Bob1957
It's spelled Adieu.
waynorthofnowhere
Joel1067
I believe that Tom Flanagan did not think "off the cuff" on the topic of child pornography. Indeed, he has expressed the same viewpoint before. What I also believe is that this was the perfect opportunity for the news agencies to rid themselves of a contributor who exhibited moral ambiguity and an increasingly smaller pool of intellectual tact.
I also think that this effort by the National Post to rehabilitate Tom Flanagan's political contributions is just that, an effort to stave off the eventual correlation between Tom Flanagan and his influence in the Americanization of Canadian politics. The public policies that were changed because of his influence include some of the checks and balances that were in place before the Harper government started to run rough shod over the Constitution. The Court Challenges Programme, gutted. Vetting bills to prevent unconstitutional laws being introduced, stopped. Statistics Canada, wounded. Government scientists muzzled. Everything that we understood as "the Canadian way" of conducting public policy has gone by the wayside. High-lighting Tom Flanagan's direct influence on these changes to Canadian policy and informing the average Canadian of the mind-set of the man who helped this PM become the PM, could undo all the changes he brought with him from America.
ambrose999
This is a red herring. I dislike Tom Flanagan's politics too, but that's not the issue at hand.
Andrew Glennie
yes, blah blah blah Harpercons bad. We got ya.
ronnyraygun1
If Tom Flanagan was a Liberal or and NDPer the RCMP would have broken down his door and taking his computer.
The Canadian media would be screaming the guy should be jailed for life and that Justin Trudeau quit running for Lib leader and take responsibility.
Of course Flanagan is a Tory so the Canadian media is starting to defend the man.
The Post is just one of the many Canadian media outlets claiming Flanagan is a great man and should return to the political scene.
Andrew Glennie
*If Tom Flanagan was a Liberal or and NDPer...* of course the Liberals, NDP and Justin Trudeau, seconded by the Star and the Globe, would right now be condemning how the `right-wing' smears its enemies and the poor little victim was just exercising his right to free speech and that's what the `right-wing' hates.
Sunshine_Coaster
Yeah, somehow the Liberals must be at fault for Tom Flanagan's opinions.
Andrew Glennie
I'm sorry, did I say that sometime?
Steve Schmidt
'Anonymous66' says it all. If you haven't got the guts to put your real name over your opinion, then your opinion isn't worth much. Unlike Professor Flanagan, who puts his reputation on the line every time he opens his mouth.
Michael Manning
Okay, so I'll say it and I post under my real name.
Prof. Flannagan has a long and disreputable record of saying abhorent things and getting away with it because he's pals with the right people. There comes a point in time when you step over the line just once to often and call down the wrath of the righteous.
He can think anything he wants. He can say anything he wants but he should be man enough to accept the consequences. He's not a private individual, like Ezra Levant, he is chows down at the public trough, either as a university professor or as a paid commentator at the national broadcaster. As such he is subject to public discipline.
Professor Flannagan is smart enough to know what is right and wrong and where the edges of the envelope are. Child pornography, even if simply drawn or textual, is well beyond those edges. It is illegal. Given that this paper is the mouthpiece for the CPC and the CPC, for which the Professor has laboured long and hard, is such a staunch proponent of mandatory sentences it is more than a tad rich to call for understanding for one of its favourite sons.
Kreigschwine
I would hate to be even 10% the horses arse Tommy boy currently is. Or even just 5% the child porn enabler.
Anonymous66
Hi Tom...
Andrew Glennie
You know my name, I'm not ashamed of displaying it. As for you, who knows?
Kreigschwine
OK, Steve, enough. Anonymity here on the forum
detracts in no way you can propose from the guy’s words. If he is a guy. His
point is relevant and his presentation speaks of a thoughtful interpretation of
the events. If you have specific criticism of his point, then I suggest using
your posting time to present it, rather than attack the man in a childish
example of Da-Ra tactics. Steve, if that is really your name, time to either
man up or can it.
Nite_Owl
And now his reputation is in tatters and rightly so.
r2g2
To be clear ( and fair) Tom never said it was victimless. His position was/is that it is a criminal offense, BUT does it (viewing anything) deserve JAIL TIME. The act is horrendous to be sure but throwing people in jail for what they read is dangerously close to a Gulag type of existence. Perhaps there is a better form of rehab/punishment/whatever.
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