A Forum for Vigorous Debate, Cornerstone of Democracy

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A FORUM FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND VIGOROUS DEBATE, CORNERSTONES OF DEMOCRACY
[For the journal--guidelines, focus, etc.--go to www.theamericandissident.org. If you have questions, please contact me at todslone@hotmail.com. Comments are NOT moderated (i.e., CENSORED)!]
Encouraged censorship and self-censorship seem to have become popular in America today. Those who censor others, not just self, tend to favor the term "moderate," as opposed to "censor" and "moderation" to "censorship." But that doesn't change what they do. They still act as Little Caesars or Big Brother protectors of the thin-skinned. Democracy, however, demands a tough populace, not so easily offended. On this blog, and to buck the trend of censorship, banning, and ostracizing, comments are NEVER "moderated." Rarely (almost NEVER) do the targets of these blog entries respond in an effort to defend themselves with cogent counter-argumentation. This blog is testimony to how little academics, poets, critics, newspaper editors, cartoonists, political hacks, cultural council apparatchiks, librarians et al appreciate VIGOROUS DEBATE, cornerstone of democracy. Clearly, far too many of them could likely prosper just fine in places like communist China and Cuba or Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Russia, not to mention Sweden, England, and Austria.
ISSUE #47 PUBLISHED MAY 2024. NOW SEEKING SUBMISSIONS FOR ISSUE #48.

More P. Maudit cartoons (and essays) at Global Free Press: http://www.globalfreepress.org

Sunday, February 3, 2013

A Note on Freedom of Speech

In the front of my little house I posted a bulletin board about six months ago, announcing  THE AMERICAN DISSIDENT, as well as my expulsion from Sturgis Library.  Now and then, I'll see a neighbor looking up at the board and reading its contents.  To date, not one person has contacted me regarding it or The American Dissident flyers kept next to the board.   Overt Free Speech in front of ones home can of course be risky because always there are cretins who hate Free Speech and will seek retribution in the form of property damage or whatever.  Ainsi soit-il. 

Yesterday, I posted the following on the board:   


A Note on Freedom of Speech
                By Citizen Maudit

The BILL RIGHTS does not guarantee citizens from being OFFENDED.  Most citizens do not know the limits of the First Amendment and seem to be accepting of pressure, mostly leftist, to reduce it in an effort to eliminate “offensiveness.”   What the First Amendment does not protect is speech that incites imminent violence.  However, the HECKLER’S VETO, no matter how violent, cannot legally truncate the right to freedom of speech. 

SPEECH CODES, mostly unconstitutional have been adopted in over 3/5 of the nation’s public colleges and universities, mostly by faceless left-wing administrators and professors.  University of Massachusetts is amongst the worst of the worst!  Another example of the war on free speech is the ISTANBUL PROCESS in which both Obama and Hillary have been actively engaged with the Muslim Brotherhood to establish unconstitutional anti-blasphemy laws in America.  Likely most citizens remain blissfully ignorant with that regard. 

America is unique, amongst Western nations—a model of freedom of speech and expression, thanks to its First Amendment.  Most such nations, including Canada, have less freedom because of adopted HATE SPEECH regulations.  Citizens of those countries can be prosecuted for uttering a mere fact, if a protected group decides to be offended by it and lodge a complaint.  This has happened, for example, in Austria, Holland, Denmark, England, and Canada.

Intelligently, as the adage goes, the best solution for hate speech is more speech… not government censorship and regulation.  Besides, “hate” is a highly subjective term, which makes prosecution difficult. 

On the 4th of July, I held a sign:  CELEBRATE THE FIRST FUCKING AMENDMENT, NOT COMMERCE.  Many were upset.  Amazingly, most could not fathom the message.  All they could see was the F-word.  One guy looked so angry, I thought he was going to attack me.  In fact, he called me Charles Manson.  But words are protected speech in America, thanks to the First Amendment.   Citizens must not be afraid to use them or, if they are, they submit to control by others.  Citizens must push at the boundaries of subjective propriety, now and then, or those boundaries will push at and further oppress citizens.  

Imagine the day when typing the word FUCK on a laptop computer is no longer possible because of faceless government censors!  And what if the latter decide to add BAD and its numerous synonyms to the list of prohibited vocabulary?  And what if through high tech they’ll be able to eliminate criticism altogether?  Well, then we’ll have Orwell’s 1984 prophesy ofNewspeak,” a deliberate intent to shrink vocabulary in an effort to control the citizenry.  

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BTW, not one library on Cape Cod will subscribe ($20) to The American Dissident!  It is as if the library directors on the Cape are of one mind… against freedom of speech and vigorous debate, DEMOCRACY’S CORNERSTONES.  Maybe you’d like to be the first person on the Cape to do so?

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