The Issue Is Freedom Of Speech

You can pick almost any quote from a far left individual who claims to be from the "Reality Based Community" which, as every thinking individual knows is a codeword for radical left, and you will find a fairyland, populated by Republican Trolls, Dragons, Castles, Evil Wizards named Karl etc.

An example:

1) It was criminal for Cindy Sheehan’s son to die for Israel rather than for the true interests of America.

From the beginning, this war was orchestrated from top to bottom by Jewish Neocons that saw the war as one for Israel’s strategic objectives. They ramped up the war through Jews such as Perle and Wolfowitz, the false intelligence through CIA analyst Stuart Cohen and by Israel’s Mossad, and had a compliant Jewish-dominated media to cheer on the war. The truth is the Iraq War has inflicted incredible damage on America and the American people. It is war against America rather than in defense of America.

2) It was criminal to send her son to die for a lie.

There were no weapons of mass destruction, no nuclear program, no uranium from Niger, no links with Al Qaeda, no imminent threat to the American people. Every reason the American people were given for going to war has turned out to be a lie.

3) It is criminal for her son to be forced to die for democracy in other countries.

If Americans were sent to die for democracy or justice in all the countries of the world we deem unjust or undemocratic, then we must be ready to send millions of our sons and daughters to war all over the globe.

4) The lie that her son died for the good of the Iraqi People is false on its face.

Hundreds of thousands of Iraq men women and children have been killed, injured, made homeless and suffered from this war. You don’t save people by destroying their homes and hospitals, and throwing their country in chaos.

5) The Iraq war and her son’s death did not defend American from hatred or terrorism.

In fact, the war is massively increasing hatred and terrorism. For every one terrorist killed in Iraq, we are creating thousands more who hate and want to hurt America and Americans. This is the surest way to lose the war on terror not win it.

6) Cindy Sheehan’s son died for no true interest for the American people.

It has secured us no new or cheaper oil, it has cost a national treasure of hundreds of billions of dollars, it has alienated friends and allies, it has hurt American business around the world, it has separated and caused hardship upon millions of American military and National Guard families. It has killed almost 2000 and maimed tens of thousands of loyal and brave Americans who do their duty in Iraq. Again, this is war against every true interest of the America. The only nation that benefits from it is Israel!

A confession, that is not from the "reality" based community; that is from David Duke. However, given the CONTENT of the speech, the meaning associated with those words, one could reasonably assume that those very words came from the radical left.

I can only assume that those supporting Cindy Sheehan on the left must be severely nauseated to think that a Klansman is hawking the same drivel that they are. Do you think that they will be willing to stand up to Duke and say, "We don't want you in our movement!" If so, I've not seen any evidence of it. Therefore, can we reasonably assume that the left is practicing "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

The US Constitution guarantees freedom of speech. In addition, while there are no limits on speech, other than things such as not yelling fire in a theater, incitement to riot, etc., etc., we are free to say what we want, when we want, and how we want to say it. This includes calling the President a murderer, burning the Flag of The United States; all these forms are protected.

But that doesn't mean that there are no consequences for speech. I'm free to call you an idiot if you make speech sounds that I don't like. I am free to say "You sir, are deranged." when your speech seems way out in left field.

I have noticed that speech, like any freedom can be abused, even though it may not be illegal it can be disconcerting. I have a rule on my blog regarding the use of foul language. The rule is:

There will be no swearing, invective (look it up), or ad homonym attacks of a juvenile nature (see below for what I mean by "juvenile nature") in the comments here, either directed at me or at another commenter.

Yet, there have been a couple of interlopers that have tried to measure my patience and have found that I really meant what I say. Another rule for commenting on my blog is:

The First Amendment protects my right to speak on this site, not yours. The amendment prohibits government from infringing on my right of free expression. On this blog, your expression is a privilege. On your own blog, your expression is a right. Learn the distinction."

You see, there really are limits to the First Amendment. In general, I’m free to say what I like, you don’t have to agree with me, but you can’t restrict my freedom to say it. Cindy Sheehan has exercised that right to the utmost in the silliest, most juvenile, most pitiful way I can imagine. The media who have given her a stage has also contributed to that silliness. My heart goes out to any mom, dad, brother, sister who has lost a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan. It must be terrible. I remember the fear when my dad was fighting in Korea and in Vietnam. Thank God he wasn’t killed, though very many brave men and women were. When I was in the Army, I told my family to celebrate if I were killed in war, celebrate my life, not mourn my death. Like other things, I doubt if they would have listened to me, but I felt the need to say it none-the-less.

And that brings me back to Ms. Sheehan. I cannot and will not tell her how to grieve, but it seems to me that if this were really about her son, there would have been more of that, and less of the circus that we saw. Daniel Henninger writing in Friday’s Wall Street Journal says it pretty well:

Cindy Sheehan may grow into the most potent Media Mom yet. In this version of the parade, the Cindy balloon is doing battle with the President Bush balloon. One side wants to make the Cindy balloon bigger, while the other wants to blow a hole in it.

"Go, Cindy, go. You're the one. Stop this criminal and his insane war."

"Cindy, go away. You're a left-wing nut babbling, 'I want to put this war on trial.'"

The ethereal Cindy floats past every night on three channels. So much is happening all around her at Camp Cindy in the Crawford ditch. Two nights ago, hundreds of pro-Cindy "vigils" were held across the country, organized largely by MoveOn.org.

Probably Cindy is getting what she wants, but this Media-Mom event may be taking the country to a place it should want to avoid, whatever one's views on the war.

Losing a son in war and simultaneously losing perhaps half the nation's sympathy is quite an accomplishment, but that's the way it works now. Modern media has become an either/or, for-or-against world. They create Media Moms because Moms are sympathetic figures. But ultimately the audience in the new electronic Colosseum--a video-game experience for couch potatoes--turns thumbs up or down on most of these Moms. After a few weeks, people were either rooting for Terri Schiavo's desperate Mom or saying she should shut up and go away. How edifying.

Which brings us to the end. If you want your speech to be heard, to be acted on, to be listened to with thoughtfulness, then you need only do one thing; try to be reasonable, let go of the hate, let go of the antagonism. Of course, I doubt if the left will hear me, they seem too invested in what they are doing. And of course, some would say that many on the far right won’t heed this message. That’s OK, I have the right to say it, I have no right to make anyone listen.

Posted by GM Roper at August 21, 2005 03:58 PM | TrackBack