The value of Free Speech

Wasted Honor -

Carl R. ToersBijns is the author of the Wasted Honor Trilogy [Wasted Honor I,II and Gorilla Justice] and his newest book From the Womb to the Tomb, the Tony Lester Story, which is a reflection of his life and his experiences as a correctional officer and a correctional administrator retiring with the rank of deputy warden in the New Mexico and Arizona correctional systems.

Carl also wrote a book on his combat experience in the Kindle book titled - Combat Medic - Men with destiny - A red cross of Valor -

Carl is considered by many a rogue expert in the field of prison security systems since leaving the profession. Carl has been involved in the design of many pilot programs related to mental health treatment, security threat groups, suicide prevention, and maximum custody operational plans including double bunking max inmates and enhancing security for staff. He invites you to read his books so you can understand and grasp the cultural and political implications and influences of these prisons. He deals with the emotions, the stress and anxiety as well as the realities faced working inside a prison. He deals with the occupational risks while elaborating on the psychological impact of both prison worker and prisoner.

His most recent book, Gorilla Justice, is an un-edited raw fictional version of realistic prison experiences and events through the eyes of an anecdotal translation of the inmate’s plight and suffering while enduring the harsh and toxic prison environment including solitary confinement.

Carl has been interviewed by numerous news stations and newspapers in Phoenix regarding the escape from the Kingman prison and other high profile media cases related to wrongful deaths and suicides inside prisons. His insights have been solicited by the ACLU, Amnesty International, and various other legal firms representing solitary confinement cases in California and Arizona. He is currently working on the STG Step Down program at Pelican Bay and has offered his own experience insights with the Center of Constitutional Rights lawyers and interns to establish a core program at the SHU units. He has personally corresponded and written with SHU prisoners to assess the living conditions and how it impacts their long term placement inside these type of units that are similar to those in Arizona Florence Eyman special management unit where Carl was a unit deputy warden for almost two years before his promotion to Deputy Warden of Operations in Safford and Eyman.

He is a strong advocate for the mentally ill and is a board member of David's Hope Inc. a non-profit advocacy group in Phoenix and also serves as a senior advisor for Law Enforcement Officers Advocates Council in Chino, California As a subject matter expert and corrections consultant, Carl has provided interviews and spoken on national and international radio talk shows e.g. BBC CBC Lou Show & TV shows as well as the Associated Press.

I use sarcasm, satire, parodies and other means to make you think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday, December 26, 2015

The value of Free Speech

The Value of Free Speech

“Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit.” M. Gandhi

Looking at the world today, there is one unique civil right that is preserved in our country that is unlike many other countries – the right of free speech. With the world focusing on the “denigration of religions” we are fortunate to enjoy such a right protected by our Constitution. Today, there are many instances where such behavior as speaking out against popular ideologies, theologies or political rhetoric is a criminal offense with some facing the death penalty for doing so.

There is a fever in the world today to criminalize denigration of religions in our world and it has prompted strong statements of support from people in our own government that carries with it threats of incarceration and prosecution of federal laws designed to prevent hate crimes. Unfortunately, such rhetoric has been presented in a very biased manner as it appears to favor one religion over many others.

During a speech at the United Nations somewhere on or about September 25, 2012, our own president Barak Obama, said, “The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam. But to be credible, those who condemn that slander must also condemn the hate we see in the images of Jesus Christ that are desecrated, or churches that are destroyed, or the Holocaust that is denied.”

This was approximately a little more than a year after the Cairo Islamic Summit that viewed that any religion should not be denigrated and focused on the strategy to impress on international communities to take effective measures against such acts of incitement of hatred and intolerance towards the Muslims and acts that lead to violence and loss of lives.

One has to notice that Islamophobia was a high priority on the agenda of this July, 2011, summit. This issue was adopted universally and globally through a framework of the United Nations’ international law which states in part: “Article 20 of ICCPR, clearly states that denigration of symbols or persons sacred to any religion is a criminal offence. This law ratifies OIC's position and the only remaining problem is the absence of enforcement in the true spirit by member states.”

It was claimed that this law was not effectively transposed to the domestic laws of the United States thus recently, our own attorney general, Loretta Lynch, stated in part during a public speech held on December 3, 2015 “"The fear that you have just mentioned is in fact my greatest fear as a prosecutor, as someone who is sworn to the protection of all of the American people, which is that the rhetoric will be accompanied by acts of violence,"

Obviously our country was founded on freedom of speech. However, this right to freedom of speech is limited when it incites violence. The attorney general stated that she would take actions and investigate acts of anti-Muslim hatred and bigoted actions suggesting that free speech does not protect predicated talks of violence. She capped her speech by stating, “I think it’s important that as we again talk about the importance of free speech we make it clear that actions predicated on violent talk are not America," said Lynch. "They are not who we are, they are not what we do, and they will be prosecuted."

American have learned from our own experiences that freedom of speech is a path to respect human rights as well as civil rights. Let us hope our government does not enforce such laws selectively and seek to go against liberty through the means of tyranny and target non-Muslims for invoking their freedom of speech without inciting violence but rather more clearly, stating the truth of our government.

The recent emphasis on protecting the rights of Muslims, specifically those who are arriving as refugees and coming to America has been covered with an executive order type of political shield or blanket of assurances that prosperity, spiritual growth and development shall be guaranteed by our government as they assist, assimilate and foster re-settlement strategies to make these Muslims feel at home inside America.