Paul, Ivar<br><br>There NEVER was ANY law in Brazil that prohibited making fun of candidates. <br><br>What there was, was a prohibition - in terms of Pagraph 2 of Article 45 of the Election Law - against manipulation, montage or other, of video clips or sound bites so as to degrade or humiliate candidates or political parties. <br>
<br>Such a clause is (was) still a restriction on freedom of expression, but was by no means a prohibition on making fun of candidates. On the contrary, they were fair game with programmes such as Casseta Planeta, Jo Soares and many others taking the mickey out of them.<br>
<br>I concur with Milton that this is a regrettable development and not to be applauded. And I was at WSIS throughout and saw that Brazil was at times/ often on the wrong side of the moral divide. And whether this document has Brazil's name on it or not, as Milton says, IBSA will put it to the UN General Assembly. As far as I know, Brazil has a historic protocol 'privilege' of being the first to speak, that is all - not to ram through proposals for a "global body of IG run by gov representatives which is either suggested by Brazilian gov or influenced by it in any way".<br>
<br>It is a short-sighted proposal, a non-starter and we should concentrate on fighting it, not where it is coming from - play the ball, not the man.<br><br>Rui<br><br> <br><br><div class="gmail_quote">2011/9/18 Paul Lehto <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:lehto.paul@gmail.com">lehto.paul@gmail.com</a>></span><br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;"><div class="im"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Sat, Sep 17, 2011 at 4:56 PM, Ivar A. M. Hartmann <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:ivarhartmann@gmail.com" target="_blank">ivarhartmann@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
I would by default oppose a global body of IG run by gov representatives which is either suggested by Brazilian gov or influenced by it in any way. <br>
Just as an example, Brazilian law prohibited people from making jokes about politicians running for office during election periods. This was in force up until a year ago until the Supreme Court (not Congress, mind you) decided to put an end to it.<br>
</blockquote></div><br></div>In the public sector (government), at least a Supreme Court, as in the Brazilian example above, can correct a policy. <br><br>But, in the private sector there will be no such correction, <b>ever, and they too have "no joking" rules.</b> <br>
<br>Using employment as an example, private sector bosses often have rules of "no joking about the boss or the boss's interests or you will be fired". In every country I know of, such private sector "no joking" rules are enforceable law. Not only that, but there isn't even a reasonable chance that the power of the private sector boss to prohibit satire and joking will be open for *debate* anytime soon, much less that the ban on private sector joking would change. But <i>in Brazil's government, the no joking policy changed, </i>thanks to the Brazilian Supreme C<b>ourt.</b><b><b><b> <br>
<br>Even internet providers terms of service will have non-disparagement clauses and the like. So, if you are effective enough ridiculing something important to the private sector internet provider, you can have your connectivity terminated. If your anti-telcom humor is ineffective or no one listens, I grant that you may have an illusion of "freedom" and you might not be terminated. (That's just the freedom to be irrelevant, not the freedom to joke about or satirize the telcom.)<br>
<br>To oppose all government involvement is not only completely anti-democratic, but in the case of the "freedom to joke" it is like going out of the frying pan and into the fire.<br><br></b><b></b></b></b><font color="#888888">-- <br>
Paul R Lehto, J.D.<br>P.O. Box 1 <br>Ishpeming, MI 49849 <br><a href="mailto:lehto.paul@gmail.com" target="_blank">lehto.paul@gmail.com</a><br>906-204-4026 (cell)<br><br><br><br><br><br><br>
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