Yellow Journalism – Discredit The Messenger

Truth – is the first casualty in any war, even in a war of words, and a war to be fought in the courts. And so it is with this battle over the heart and soul of our precious Canadian Freedoms that are ‘supposedly’ guaranteed through our Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

I’m being demonized in the French press and amongst some in the English press. This past weekend (June 22, 2008), Janice Kennedy of the Ottawa Citizen Newspaper’s Web Publication called me a bigot.

She wrote that she was a supporter of mine when I fought against ethnocentric Quebecois nationalism in Quebec, but as of now, because I am fighting against “bilingualism” (as she describes it), I am now a bigot.

She associated words and phrases in her column to describe me as a Libertarian, anti-French, turning up rocks to let all kinds of bigotry come slithering out, and Nazi salutes amongst others.

Funny isn’t it, that I was her hero when I fought for her rights in Quebec, but now that I am fighting the same fight in Ontario, I am now a bigot.

The French media is having a field day with all of this. I’ve given interviews to the French media in the French language where they’ve taken all of what I’ve said, and then used ONLY snippets to validate their own slanted opinion.

In other words, the French media used their interviews with me, solely to give their audience the impression that I am a loose cannon followed by a smattering of Anglo French-hating bigots.

This same thing happened to me in Quebec during the QPAC years, where the French media went out of their way to paint me as an evil and hateful piece of work. What I did then, is what I am doing now.

As of last week, I refuse to give any interviews to the French press. If they’re going to make it up, they may as well make it up without any help from me.

Here’s the reality:

There is an enormous amount of support for my position from the English speaking community, as well as from more French speakers than one might expect.

The reason why people such as Janice Kennedy of the Ottawa Citizen, are so full of vitriol against me, is that they cannot be against my position.

The same can be said about the French press.

Instead of focusing on what I’ve said and wrote about the issue, they would rather highlight a couple of people who made a Nazi Salute. The fact that I had nothing to do with that gesture, nor that I had anything to do with the couple of people who made it, is irrelevant to the media.

What they do not want to become public are the simple facts and irrefutable truths.

I AM NOT NOW, NOR HAVE I EVER BEEN AGAINST BILINGUAL SIGNS.

I am against laws that strip away Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Association and Freedom of Choice.

Isn’t it interesting that a small town Mayor, whose professional vocation before becoming Mayor was as a heating and air-conditioning technician, who all of a sudden has the power through a simple bylaw to abrogate the abovementioned three Freedoms.

Does that seem a bit Orwellian to you?

Imagine what our presumed Freedoms are worth, if any Mayor in Canada can pass a bylaw that at the stroke of his or her pen strips away Charter Right guarantees?

There is nothing that should be scarier in an open and free society, than freedom of speech, and all of the inherent rights associated with it, simply being voted away by a majority of one.

There is another side to the insanity of all of this. Quebec has spent BILLIONS of dollars doing everything it could to wipe out any and all vestiges of bilingualism in the belief that bilingualism is the fast track to assimilation.

Court case after court case was won by Quebec based upon the premise that bilingualism equals death to the French language and culture. Now, all of a sudden, we have the argument from Ontario French speakers who say just the opposite.

How can French-speaking Canadians suck and blow at the same time? Most important to the debate though, is why should I or anyone else who is not a member of the French community be sucked-in to their dilemma?

It’s far easier for a few sell-out Anglos in the English media, and a French media that practices Yellow Journalism, to paint me as a racist and a bigot, than it is for them to try to explain the truth.

What is also fascinating, is how all of this is being financed: The Pro FORCED bilingual sign side, as well as all the other pro French activist sides, finance virtually EVERYTHING with public tax dollars.

But, every penny that will go towards championing and defending our Charter of Rights and Freedoms will come from ordinary people who will make donations large and small.

If you want to be a part of the people who will fight to preserve the Freedoms we assume are guaranteed in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, you will contribute. If not, then just enjoy the show.

To get involved and make a contribution to Galganov Dot Com, please click on the red link below my signature.

Best Regards . . . Howard Galganov