Comment

Comment by Proud Jew on March 10, 2011 at 2:32pm

Reply to"Marklar's" post about the "nature of free speech". Mark, I accept the right of free speech, and will defend it, but there is a place for everything. Example,  these folks at Westboro Baptist Church who protest at funerals of fallen American soldiers, they are allowed their free speech from a distance to allow some privacy to the bereaved.  Another example, say in a church service, if one or a group were to invade the service, would the police allow them their freedom of speech?  Probably not!

 

My point is, that here on these pages, there must be a mission, and that is educate and bring together like minded people wanting to be free of tyranny by governments. This mission will become discredited if more and more are allowed to spew hate of people's  religion, color or nationality.

 

There must be some sets of rules which will include free speech, but exclude deliberate attempt to disenfranchise any religious, ethnic, or gender group which also should have their rights protected. 

 

Those are my thoughts on free speech, and all I can do is make my suggestions. Decisions on changes should be made by those who manage these pages and by popular majority.

Comment by Marklar on March 10, 2011 at 2:20pm

Such is the nature of free speech. Can it be confined to a list of approved topics and points of view and still be free? Will banning certain speech really change anybody's mind about the ideas presented or cause them to fester and strengthen in the individual who is strong armed out of the conversation rather than being refuted with logic or even merely being met with the blank faced stares of disinterest from those they are presenting the ideas to? I really don't think there are any answers to be had to such questions.

 

We've usually erred on the side of free speech in the past when confronted with difficult situations and hopefully will continue to do so in the future but even we DO have our limits though I would be hard pressed to define exactly what they are. In the past a cold welcome from our members has been enough to make most of the truly racist or otherwise insane elements leave of their own accord before long and that may be how this plays out as well.

 

In any case I'm sure the admins are monitoring the situation already and will take appropriate action if and when they deem it to be absolutely necessary.

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