A
archangel
Guest
Matrixx8 said:Nice try, but there's a piece of the free-speech puzzle missing in the article you quote -- and in your comment on the article.
I seriously doubt that free speech is any less evident in Europe (at least in "Old Europe") than it is anywhere else in the world. For example, as an American living in the Netherlands, I can assure you that in many ways Dutch residents have much more freedom of speech than do American residents.
Why do you suppose that Theo van Gogh was murdered or Hirshi Ali received death threats? It is because they chose to use their right of free speech to insult and debase an entire culture, rather than individuals within that culture who believe in medieval magic and supernatural interventions.
Dutch television does not censor nudity or vulgar language. Nor is it legal for companies who have advertising contracts to put pressure on TV broadcasters to cancel programs because they do not like the content (something that happens everyday in the USA).
Is this situation different in other European countries? Some, like Germany and Austria, have hate-speech legislation that bans calls for the extermination of Jews or Muslims. Aren't death threats banned in the U.S.?
The U.S. is certainly no exception to the censorship rule -- not in its long history and despite the First Amendment.
The historical examples read like a hit list of free speech issues -- from the Alien and Sedition Acts to suspension of Habeas Corpus during the Civil War, from the Espionage Act of 1917 to the Smith Act during the Second World War and the House UnAmerican Activities Committee in the 1950s.
More recently, the Bush Administration has tried to revive a law that went into effect under the Clinton Administration:
Besides this, there are many other free speech issues in the U.S., including patent laws, campus codes and free speech in the workplace (protecting employees' rights to criticize their bosses or their companies without being fired).
So, while every country has its up and downside, the U.S. is certainly no better off than any other constitutional democracy when it comes to free speech.
But, hey, I agree with your take on the issue.
Right...and I am supposed to believe this?..Gimme a break...I for one... must see the facts before I can answer this BS! What is wrong with America?
Simple... we are open and honest....and this seems to be the problem....as most are deceivers...NO?