The right to free speech is not the right to force people to listen to you

While claiming to speak "for the people", communists and Marxists uniformly behave as if they are the sole custodians of "the people's will." They think they know better than you what is in your interest, which is why they act as if views they disagree with should be barred while their own should be imposed.

Even when operating in democratic countries, communists never seem quite able to manage a fundamental understanding of democratic principles and only seem to grasp their trappings. In countries where there is a free press and free speech, radical socialists and communists complain that they are unable to get their message out. If that's true, it's not because of any concerted effort to suppress what they are saying. It is, of course, due to their own ineptitude and their lack of having anything to say that people want to hear. There are any number of means of mass communication, via blogs, a competitive mainstream media, social media, publications and so on. The average Canadian has more access to diverse media now than any previous society in world history.

If a message isn't taking hold it isn't because there aren't means of disseminating it. It's because people don't find the message compelling.

But some (e.g. communists and Islamist Human Rights Commission complainants) demand that they should be able to impose their opinions on others while claiming their right to free speech is being denied.

Which is pretty stupid.

Free speech is the right to say or write what you like. It isn't the right to demand that others listen to you or  have to broadcast your opinion.

But Canadian communists are like the ugly, bitter wallflower who handles rejection badly.

A recent outburst involves Canadian communist Kimball Cariou (how's that for an alliteration!).

Offended that colorful Hockey commentator Don Cherry is expressing support for Canadian soldiers fighting against totalitarians in Afghanistan, Cariou, joined by Sea Hitler (Canadian Gaza boat) swabbie Derirck O'Keefe are demanding Cherry change his ways or that they should be able to appear on Hockey Night in Canada to debate him.

They have formed a group, absurdly calling themselves "Hockey Fans for Peace" - a misnomer since there are too many exceptions to their peace activism to mention; Afghan women, Lebanese being persecuted by Hezbollah, religious minorities in Iran, Jews in Israel, Christians in the Muslim world plus plenty more would all seem to be exempt from the peace interests of these people. "Warmongers Against the West" has a better ring to it and is a better description, but I doubt they'd take my suggestion. However, I digress..

The point is that in democratic Canada, you have every right to say what you want about Cherry and the war. But until the Stalinists run the show here, people like Cariou and O'Keefe don't get to tell anyone what they have to hear.