Nevermind, Mikko Ellilä isn’t racist, the Finnish judicial system is - anybody who believes “inciting racial hatred” is only worth 360 euros, are racist themselves. Mikko has appealed the decision…

A blogger in Finland has been fined for writing offensive material about Africans.

A court sentenced the 30-year old Espoo resident to a fine for inciting racial hatred. It found that the man’s writings on the Internet constituted illegal propaganda.

The judgment ruled that the man slandered Africans by comparing them to animals. In his defense, the man said that laws governing freedom of speech protected his right to express his opinion.

I predicted a Ron Paul/Mike Gravel Libertarian ticket a while ago. It just might happen - He’d certainly get my vote if I were a delegate…

The fact is, the Democratic Party today is no longer the party of FDR. It is a party that continues to sustain war, the military-industrial complex and imperialism — all of which I find anathema to my views.

By and large, I have been repeatedly marginalized in both national debates and in media exposure by the Democratic leadership, which works in tandem with the corporate interests that control what we read and hear in the media.

I look forward to advancing my presidential candidacy within the Libertarian Party, which is considerably closer to my values, my foreign policy views and my domestic views.

Hat Tip to ichibanjohnjon for the link!

Outspoken Finnish political activist, Mikko Ellilä, wrote a lengthy blog post a while back (mirror site) sharing his views on African society & culture. Because of that post, he came under investigation from the Finnish police for incitement against a national or religious group. The case went to trial and the proceedings have been documented and translated into English. According to the translator, the verdict will come tomorrow.

Anyone who has read Mikko’s blog posts and comments knows that he writes very openly, and frankly. He’s certainly not afraid to dance around any issues and “political correctness” isn’t in his vocabulary. The blog post in question is textbook racism. However, I don’t believe the state should be prosecuting individuals for speaking their minds and excersizing their right to free speech. If Mikko would have simply “fluffed up” his post instead of being so blunt, I doubt he’d been in the situation he’s in now.

Finland needs an open dialogue on race, and with an open dialogue we’re sometimes going to hear things we’re not going to like - and Mikko’s case, we’re going to hear things we REALLY don’t like. We’re simply not going to end racism by forcefully silencing everyone we don’t agree with.

It’s hard to defend racist rhetoric like this, but situations like this is when defending our natural rights become most important. Soon the Finnish state will blacklist websites based on racism, just as they do with child pornography. If Mikko gives up life as a blogger, I’m sure he’ll be very welcome as a Finnish police officer, he’ll fit right in there - or maybe he could get a job working with our Prime Minister’s father…

Mika Illman [prosecution]: The text under discussion, “Society Consists of People”, has been published on the Internet. In the text, Africans are slandered and insulted. It includes material that is prohibited in section 11 of the penal code and that should therefore not be disseminated. I demand that the text be removed from the Internet. It is indisputable that the text has been disseminated as described in the penal code. What is in dispute is whether the statements included in the text are illegal. This case is not about freedom of opinion. Mr Ellilä is free to hold any opinions that he wishes. However, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights prohibits abusing these rights. Freedom of speech may not be misused.

Kari Silvennoinen [defense] [after denying that the text has been disseminated as described in the penal code]: The main issue here is whether the statements in the text are illegal or not. I find it hypocritical of the prosecutor to be “concerned” about freedom of speech while at the same time narrowing it down. The charge is about incitement against an ethnic group, but there is no ethnic group mentioned in the text that would be incited against. The text is an opinion piece and it contains links to articles in which facts supporting the opinions are presented. If the prosecutor wins this case, all provocative writings will have to be censored from the Internet. Thus the case is in the highest degree about freedom of speech.

Separation of Church and State nonsense aside, do the Friday and Monday around Easter really need to be state-forced bank holidays? I wonder what would happen to you if you opened up your store today, they’d haul your ass off to jail?

Who actually does anything other than sleep in, take walks, and watch TV on these days? Who actually uses these days for their intended purpose, going to church reflecting about Jesus something something whatever..? The people who actually need to take off work for religious reasons live up north and probably don’t have jobs to begin with.

Now don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t want to get rid of a four-day weekend - I reeeeally needed this after the shit I’ve been through over the past few months. But I’m wondering if these days could fall on events Finns actually care about like sports events, rock festivals, Easter, and the Monday hangover day after the Super Bowl??

Well I’m happy to announce that I have agreed upon a settlement just hours before the trial were to begin. The papers were signed this morning at the Helsinki District Court which brings this case to a close.

I agreed that the settlement would remain confidential for twenty years, so apologies for not being able to tell more. One thing I can tell you is that I’m very happy with the outcome, and looking forward to putting this behind me.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my attorney, Herkko Hietanen, and his team at Turre Legal for an excellent job. They are truly the leaders in Finland when it comes to internet & technology law, hands down. If you’re ever in need of an attorney, look no further.

We’re moving forward here on Finland for Thought, so I’d appreciate your positive comments for all parties involved. Hope you and yours have a relaxing Easter holiday!!

Finnish hockey player Jere Karalahti has been sentenced to 1 year 8 months suspended jail sentence for “abetting a gross narcotics offence”. The court found him to be deliberately knowingly involved in financing a shipment of amphetamine from Estonia last July. Karalahti has claimed he had just been paying off his party debts with no knowledge of the deal. The 10 000 euros in question was also forfeit to the state. The prosecutor says he will be appealing to the higher court against the lighter sentence of abetting and possibly asking for a sentence for aggravated narcotics offence. Karalahti has not commented on the verdict but is likely to appeal to the higher court as well, as he has insisted of being innocent in funding any drug deal. Some twenty people accused in the case got sentences of various lengths, the main three accused received ten-year mandatory jail sentences.

Spliff notes: drugs are bad mmkay?

It seems that if it sounds too good to be true, it most probably is. The HS along with other evening papers reported over shots been fired in Ikaalinen over investment losses (*). There are heated feelings and discussions over WinCapita, which allegedly was dealing in the currency market promising over 400% profits. It seems that there were no more easy pickings in the boonies, as the company and its website suddenly disappeared.

The MTV3 News and Savon Sanomat already last year autumn warned against the scheme, and it was widely dismissed as a ponzi scheme on numerous bulletin boards. The Finnish authorities have been aware of WinCapita, but claim to have been unable to react as there had been no breach of Finnish law that would enable a criminal investigation without a wronged party filing a complaint.

After the firing of the shots was tied to the erupting investment scandal, the National Bureau of Investigation made a rare public plea in Aamulehti for the people to refrain from violence. I still don’t think Finland would follow Albania. It really shouldn’t be that difficult either to read on fraud on the Consumer Affairs Bureau website.

(*)The police late today released a statement the shooting was aimed at another house and didn’t have anything to do with this case.

Lagos notes: fools and their money quickly do part

For all Mr. Show and sketch comedy fans - the best news I’ve heard in a while… (see some sketches from Mr. Show)

“Bob and I are going to shoot something for HBO, a pilot, which was something we wrote,” Cross told us recently in Shreveport, Louisiana during a break from shooting the Jack Black-Michael Cera flick “Year One.” “It’s based on Bob’s idea, but we both co-wrote it and I’ll act in it.”

Although the duo’s return to Home Box Office will be like “Mr. Show” in some ways, Cross insisted that it will also play with the clichés of situation comedies. “It’s a sitcom,” the “Arrested Development” funnyman explained. “It will follow a traditional sitcom feeling, but will also feel like a big sketch, even though the characters will remain the same each week.”

“Hopefully, we’ll shoot it this April,” he continued. “The working title is ‘David’s Situation,’ but that could change.”

Also, since Bob and David will once again be existing in the realm of pay-TV, they hope to employ a “Grindhouse”-like gimmick that will exploit our collective hatred of ad breaks. “Because it’s HBO, we are going to write and shoot our own commercials that will probably have nothing to do with the show, and have two commercial breaks and have an epilogue and all that stuff,” Cross grinned, adding: “And if it comes naturally to swear, or have something a little more than you wouldn’t have on network TV, we’ll definitely do that.”

I’ve had the fortune to visit the states quite a few times during 2007 and see a lot of movies (and my Amazon.com orders, shhh…don’t tell customs) - I’ve seen 66 films from 2007 so far. I think last year was an *amazing* year for films, here’s my Top 10 list for 2007… (see my 2006 list, and 2005 list)

1. Southland Tales - If the thought of “The Fifth Element meets Mulholland Drive” excites you, you’ll love this. If not, you’ll HATE this movie. It’s a strange Sci-Fi/Dark-Comedy flick from the director of “Donnie Darko” which has everything I love: Alternate History theme, incredible soundtrack by Moby, futuristic drugs, an amazing ensemble of a cast which has many members and former members of Saturday Night Live, numerous references to Philip K. Dick novels. You’ll either love it or hate it.

2. He was a Quiet Man - The forgotten gem of 2007, a dark comedy starring Christian Slater (whom I usually hate), Elizabeth Cuthbert (hot as hell) and Willam H. Macy (any film he touches is gold). Why this film never made the mainstream or even indie cult status…I have no idea.

3. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead - A thriller starring Philip Seymour Hoffman (freakin’ genius) and Ethan Hawke that’ll keep your heart racing from start to finish.

4. No Country for Old Men - If you haven’t seen this year, stop reading this stupid blog and head to the theatres now.

5. There Will be Blood - “I drink your milkshake, I drink it up!!” -*The* meme of 2007. An epic masterpiece.

6. American Gangster - I love gangster flicks and this is one of the best.

6a. 3:10 to Yuma - Best Western ever? Could be.

7. The Nines - Another forgotten gem of 2007, a sci-fi-esque film that even your girlfriend will enjoy.

7a. Wristcutters: A Love Story - A surreal dark comedy/scifi film about where one goes after you commit suicide.

8. Mr. Brooks - Underrated psychological thriller, great soundtrack to boot.

9. The Ten - The underrated comedy of 2007, about the 10 commandments, it felt like 10 awesome SNL sketches in one movie.

10. The King of Kong - Best documentary of 2007, about the race to become the world’s best “Donkey Kong” player. It’s porn for geeks.

Other movies I rate an “8″ or higher from 2007: Breach, Into the Wild, Knocked up, My Kid Could Paint That, Stardust, Superbad, The Assassination of Jesse James on the Coward Robert Ford, The Simpsons Move. ADD: Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.

…what am I missing??

First the good news - Lesbian couples in Finland may soon be allowed to adopt children… (male couples too?)

The Social Democrats want adoption rights instated for gay couples who have registered their partnerships. The party’s leadership has accepted a proposal on the matter ahead of the party convention, reports the SDP daily Uutispäivä Demari.

And now the bad news - Way back in January 2005 (and many times since, here, here, here, here, and here) I predicted the newly proposed law on sperm donors would severely harm the pool of donors, and it has…

The number of egg cell donors has plummeted since a law came into effect which removed the donors’ right to anonymity. The newspaper Helsingin Sanomat says that in some cities, the number of donors has dropped by half.

In September, a new law began requiring that the identities of egg and sperm donors be stored in a registry. Children born through these donations are now allowed access to the registry to track down the donors.

This made me laugh - A laundry detergent named ‘Mini Risk’. “Only a small chance it’ll ruin your clothes…”

This is truly scary. I honestly thought this was some sort of April Fool’s joke…

The Helsinki and Vantaa police departments have stepped up the inspections of foreigners’ residence permits. Police officers are making spot checks in places where foreigners typically gather, including shopping malls, railway stations, and harbours. In Vantaa, spot checks have been made in the shopping centres of Myyrmanni and Jumbo, among others.

In Espoo, random inspections are not worthwhile, as the number of targets would be comparatively low, says Chief Inspector Aaro Väätäinen.

Anyone looking or sounding foreign can be chosen as the target of spot checks.

Fucking Outrageous. This is racism at it’s finest. I wonder how many Finns of foreign background have been targeted simply because the color of their skin? “Hey there’s a black guy, let’s get’em!!”

”A foreigner is always obliged to explain why he or she is in Finland. However, they do not have to carry all relevant documents with them all the time, as the facts can be checked through a computer network” reports Chief Inspector Jouko Aromäki from the Vantaa police.

…it sounds like we’re a science fiction movie, or maybe Nazi Germany. “Your papers please…”

”The point of these checks is to maintain order and security in public places, with a view to the wellbeing of all citizens and residents of this country”, stresses Heinilä.

Bull-fucking-shit. This is the EXACT same propaganda George Bush and the neo-conservatives in the U.S. spew out to instill fear in the people.

“The inspections of foreigners may now attract attention, as they are being conducted publicly in places where they have previously been made less conspicuously. The number of such checks will be stepped up, and they will be conducted throughout the year”, Heinilä concludes.

Racist. Finnish. Police.

You want to make Finland a hot bed for real problems like Islamic extremism and terrorism? Keep doing this shit. Get the people angry at the police. Harass the foreigners like this. Force the immigrants to stay clear of public places, and put them in the houses of religious fanatics.

Immigrants and everyone concerned about the rights of immigrants should take action! Who’s with me?!?

For those of you who don’t pay for the meals with food stamps, Helsinki haute cuisine has just become a bit more salivating. The Michelin Red Guide for 2008 has listed two new restaurants with a coveted star, Carma and Postres, while the Chez Dominique has retained its two and Demo its one star. G.W. Sundmans Krog lost its star so the number of “starred” restaurants in Helsinki is four.

Cliff notes: stadin kebab ateria 7,40 .

Last year Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen’s ex-girlfriend, Susan Ruusunen, released an autobiography about herself and her relationship with the PM. Matti Vanhanen filed criminal charges against his ex-girlfriend and her publisher claiming violation of privacy. Yesterday those charges were dismissed!

Helsinki District Court has acquitted Kari Ojala, the main owner of the publisher Etukeno, of charges of violating the privacy of Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre). The case centred on disclosures in a kiss-and-tell book published last year entitled Pääministerin morsian (”The Prime Minister’s Bride”).

The author of the book, the Prime Minister’s former girlfriend Susan Ruusunen, was also acquitted in a split decision handed down early on Wednesday afternoon.

The prosecution in the case called for a suspended prison sentence or heavy fines against Ojala for spreading hurtful information about Vanhanen’s private life. The prosecutor called for a light fine against Ruusunen. Vanhanen himself also demanded what he felt would be nominal damages of EUR 1,000.

“This shows that Finland is still a country with the rule of law”, said Ojala, commenting on the decision to Helsingin Sanomat.

Congrats to Susan, Kari, and most importantly, free speech in Finland! Because if we can’t write openly about our highest ranking politician…who can we write about!? Think about any biography or autobiography you’ve ever read, when hasn’t sensitive and private material been present?? A decision that went the other way could essential kill an entire genre of literature, as authors would fear being published. It’s a scary world we live in.

Vanhanen has indicated that he intends to appeal the decision.

Shame on you Prime Minister Vanhanen!! You’re abusing your money and power to kill freedom of speech in your country. You belong with our neighbors to the east - you’ll fit right in as a politician there!

Don’t know where the reporter originally hails from, but Jerry Shriver  apparently thinks Helsinki rocks.

Radical weather that veers from 24-hour sunlight to weeks of near-constant darkness and arthritic cold, with oodles of gloom in between, warps the soul.

My sentiments exactly