Small Dead Animals reflects on National Review’s David Frum being served libel papers from the Canadian government.

In any sane democratic country, a slap suit against an opinion columnist by a government operative would provoke outrage and non-stop editorials in the mainstream press. The item would be leading the newscasts, with punditry convening soberly on our TV screens. Reporter scrums would pepper government leaders to explain their actions in curtailling that most hallowed (in their eyes) of all freedoms - freedom of the press.

…

So, as the Liberals draft laws that push more and more areas of government operation outside the reach of Freedom of Information requests, weaken protections for whistleblowers, when they brazenly refuse to acknowledge the defeat of their government in non-confidence motions and ignore the Auditor Generals concerns about billions of tax dollars being funneled into unaccountable foundations - the Lloyd Robertsons and Peter Mansbridges busy themselves studiously studying Stephen Harper’s facial expressions and providing Canadians “Better News Through Polling”.

A few weeks ago a couple of co-workers poked gentle fun at my right-wing views when I casually said something like “Canada is Cuba with a smiley face” (a line that I shamelessly stole from somebody whom I can’t remember now). I’ll point them towards this post.

Canada is the place where good, freedom-loving citizens go to escape the imagined tyrannies of President Bush. Will they come slinking back when they find out that Canada sues critics of the government?