OFF: Freeedom of Speech

[Paul Mather]

On Tue, 2006-02-14 at 19:31 +0000, trev wrote:
> I thought about publishing the cartoons on Real Festival Music to show
> solidarity with the free press.  I am ashamed to say that I have not done so
> for fear of the Islamic murderers. I am truly ashamed.

Sorry to hear of your deep shame, Judge Trev.  Maybe you can persuade
the Real Festival Music Web site to publish some articles denying the
Holocaust ever happened.  After all, the Germans say you can't do that,
and they'll arrest you in Germany if you do.  You should stand up for
free speech and show them what for!  (I know, standing up to Germany is
not as fashionable as standing up to Iran, but beggars can't be
choosers.)

But wait, you say, that Holocaust denial stuff has been proven in court
to be a load of rubbish, so why should I help disseminate such nonsense
and cause offence to loads of Holocaust survivors into the bargain?
That's easy, I'm told: because someone says you can't, and when that
happens you have to "stand up for the principle of free speech" because
the next thing you know they'll be stopping you from "airing both sides
of the argument" and teaching Intelligent Design in science classes.

Stupid, isn't it?

Cheers,

Paul.
--
e-mail: paul at gromit.dlib.vt.edu

"Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production
 deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid."
        --- Frank Vincent Zappa