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Censorship
Posted: Fri Feb 04, 2011 9:18 am
by stahrwe
As we see the events in the world we are reminded of the importance of free speech. That is a concept cherished most places in the United States. When that freedom is curtailed, it is censorship.
The First Amendment reads:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The first thing to notice here is that, contrary to popular opinion, this amendment does not give people rights to free speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, or freedom of assembly, or the right to petition the government for redress of grievances. In fact, the Constitution does not give people any rights whatsoever.
Instead, it operates as a restriction on the interference with rights — rights that preexist both the government and the Constitution. In other words, the reason that the Constitution called the federal government into existence was to protect the exercise of pre-existing, fundamental rights. The purpose of the Bill of Rights was to ensure that the government didn’t use such power (the power to protect rights) to infringe or even destroy such rights.
http://www.fff.org/freedom/fd0407a.asp
Re: Censorship
Posted: Sun May 01, 2011 4:17 pm
by Jozanny
I do not want to make a big deal out of this. I am getting too old, and I was increasingly unhappy with the maturity level of the discussions, but I was banned from The Literature Network. My feelings were hurt, and after four years there, that they terminated my account without even telling me what particular rule I violated makes me wonder if I should just stop trying to find a sense of place online altogether?
I am disabled, a wheelchair user, and my poverty stresses me out, and I have some troll history in relation to that (gasp!) but I never personally or deliberately attacked any poster @ LNF; I guess what I am asking is how do you trust yourself to settle in somewhere?
I don't want to sneak back in, or fight the owner, but is it okay if I ask someone here to tell my friends there that I joined BookTalk? I suppose it is a contradiction that I can write there is no right to free speech online and yet feel betrayed, one and the same
Re: Censorship
Posted: Mon May 02, 2011 7:00 am
by patrickt
For me, the 1st Amendment protects all speech. The amendment didn't specify any type of speech and in my opinion that makes it global. Of course, government desperately wants to control speech so this amendment has been under attack since day one. We are, in my opinion, at a time in history where the government is most eager to control speech and a lot of Americans are willing to let them.
King George had laws against "hate" speech and those in power now want to have laws against "hate" speech again. Hate speech being, of course, speech by people they don't like. We have people in the U.S. whose stock in trade is hate speech but it's okay. It's just some people against whom the government wants to move with hate speech.