...from a fan of Democracy: First the Dixie Chicks... now bridge players???

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

First the Dixie Chicks... now bridge players???

The New York Times reported today that a team of bridge players face a year long ban from competition for voicing their opposition to President Bush. In a free speech issue reminiscent of the Dixie Chicks' problem in 2003, the team held up a sign saying "We did not vote for Bush" at an awards dinner.

Jan Martel, president of the US Bridge Federation said, "This is not a free speech issue. There isn't any question that private organizations can control the speech of people who represent them."

The team's non-playing captain, Gail Greenburg, said the team was stunned by what they consider an act done in a "moment of levity." The proposed sanctions have the potential of hurting some of the team members financially, as they some or make part of their living by playing bridge in high-level tournaments.

Professional bridge player, teacher and columnist Danny Kleinman took issue with the USBF, saying via email, "If the U.S.B.F. wants to impose conditions of membership that involve curtailment of free speech, then it cannot claim to represent our country in international competition.”

Well said. Any organization that represents the United States simply must endorse the principles of the United States, which, the last time I checked, include free speech.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...: You can voice your opinion to Jan Martel, President of the USBF at:

Postal Address
1511 Portola Street
CA 95616 Davis
Telephone
+1-530-758 4088
Fax
+1-901-398 7754
Email
usbf.president@acbl.org
janmartel@comcast.net
Web site
http://www.usbf.org/

source: http://www.worldbridge.org/zones/nbo.asp?orgid=141; November 14, 2007 at 9:35 PM
Anonymous said...: People should read this.; November 10, 2008 at 12:51 PM

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The 14 Points of Fascism

1.) Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
2.) Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
3.) Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
4.) Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
5.) Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.
6.) Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
7.) Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses
8.) Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.
9.) Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
10.) Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.
11.) Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free _expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
12.) Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations
13.) Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.