To the Editor,
Re: Broadcast ban tramples our rights, Reporter’s Viewpoint, Feb. 1.
Chris Bush makes a valid point regarding the dangers of an anonymous complaint resulting in ‘Big Brother’ mandating what is and is not acceptable in our society.
Reacting to an anonymous complaint simply opens the door to government agents of all ideologies using that as an excuse to advance their own agenda.
In fact, how does one know if the complaint is even legitimate, and why in the world should one complaint result in the type of action regarding a song’s lyrics that have been around for 25 years?
Picture this: it is just another slow day at the government department of something or other, and since an employee thinks it prudent to actually look like they are doing something, they file a complaint that results in them having to start another file. In the interest of job security, it sounds like a good tactic.
Bringing it home to a local matter, it was and still is an anonymous complaint that kicked off the Bill Bestwick-Boston Pizza conflict issue which in the end cost the taxpayers another $13,000 at least and resolved nothing except throwing a wrench into the LED sign bylaw (which was likely the original agenda).
When civil servants can start promoting their own agendas and begin engaging in social engineering to suit their own ideals, by acting on an anonymous complaint – it’s just another slippery slope.
Jim Taylor
Nanaimo