From the November 2004 Idaho Observer:

Customs censors seize book on education as "hate"

TORONTO—Canada Customs and Revenue Agency agents seized four copies of "Why Johnny Can’t Think: America’s Professor-Priesthood" by U.S. scholar and journalist Robert W. Whitaker "as they may constitute obscenity or hate propaganda."

The books were seized from Paul Fromm, Director of the Canadian Association for Free Expression at Toronto’s Pearson Airport. Fromm was returning from a trip to Washington, D.C.

"This is part of an ongoing campaign of Customs harassment of those of us involved in the Zundel case," Fromm said. "I’ve been sent to secondary inspection on almost every return trip from he U.S. since I became publicly identified as a supporter and fundraiser for the imprisoned dissenter." [To find out more about the case of revisionist historian Ernst Zundel go to www.zundelsite.org].

"I was detained for an hour and 15 minutes and, as usual, was the only person of a flight of more than 50 sent for secondary inspection, " Fromm explained.

The female inspector, who, as always refused to give her name, rifled though my newspaper clippings and even felt all the pockets of my soiled shirts and a suit in my suitcase.

Why Johnny Can’t Think author Robert W. Whitaker was born and raised in South Carolina. He attended the University of South Carolina and took graduate studies at Virginia Graduate School. He has been a college professor, international aviation negotiator, Capitol Hill senior staffer, Reagan Administration appointee and writer for the Voice of America.

Whitaker is an outspoken critic of leftwing dominance in education. He believes that formal education has become dangerous and often fatal, to common sense. "Formal education is far and away the biggest industry in the United States," he argues. "Americans pay trillions of dollars, both in taxes and private tuition, to have their children indoctrinated in a false and destructive ideology, which serves as the basis for a series of disastrous public policies," he contends.

"The Customs censors have set themselves up as a political thought police," Fromm charges. "Over the past half dozen years, they’ve seized Irish myths and even booklets containing legal submissions in court cases. Sometimes, these books are returned by the censors; sometimes, not."

"These anonymous operatives are trampling on freedom of speech and freedom of thought," Fromm adds. "I find it ironic that, on a recent visit to Moscow, Prime Minister Paul Martin advised Russian President Vladimir Putin not to over-react to the terrorist threat and not to restrict basic rights such as freedom of speech. Perhaps, Martin should worry a bit more about freedom of speech right here in Canada," says Fromm. "He should pass the word to the Customs thought police to respect freedom to read." ~from CAFE

The Canadian Association for Free Expression (CAFE), [Box 332, Rexdale, ON,. M9W 5L3.] CAFE was founded in 1981 and is Canada’s leading advocate for free speech. It has intervened in a number of court cases and human rights tribunals and is especially concerned about government censorship of the Internet. CAFE publishes the monthly Free Speech Monitor (905-897-7221).