And Now for a Liberal Attack on Free Speech
… in the Netherlands.
Willful, Crusading Ignorance
I took the title of this post from one of the speakers in the video embedded below. I’ve followed this IUPUI case for some time, mostly via Dispatches from the Culture Wars, but also through the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). This case is particularly egregious, but political correctness, or the idea that…
2008 U. S. Presidential Election | Author Related | Campaign Finance Reform | Energion.com | Freedom of Speech | Politics
Suspending Free Speech in Politics
Though I have decided to support Barack Obama for president this year, one of the great negatives on my checklist for him and for the Democratic party is campaign finance laws. When I put the candidates side-by-side, however, McCain isn’t a significant improvement on that point. This is illustrated by this story on CQPolitics, informing…
Author Related | Christianity | Diversity | Energion.com | Freedom of Speech | Tolerance | United Methodist Church
Free Speech, Appropriate Speech, and Communion Wafers
The incident in which a university student took a communion wafer from a Catholic church instead of eating it has stirred up an incredible amount of controversy. For background I’m going to link to just three posts, which in turn will allow you to find all the information you want on the incident and probably…
Oppose Fairness Doctrine
Here’s a case where I support a position taken by a number of religious right groups–the fairness doctrine. I don’t think it was ever appropriate, and it is both inappropriate and unnecessary now in the information age. The story is on the Christian Post. In the information age, all we need to do is refrain…
Author Related | Creation and Evolution | Education | Education Policy | Energion.com | Freedom of Speech | Intelligent Design | Science Education
Distinguishing Freedom and Ability
I have always preferred our classic statements of rights, such as the bill of rights, to such statements as Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms.” What interests me is that while our classic statements of rights indicate things that the government is not permitted to prevent you from doing, the latter two freedoms from Roosevelt’s list, and especially…
2008 U. S. Presidential Election | Author Related | Energion.com | Freedom of Speech | Politics | Tolerance
Tolerance: A Value, Not an Absolute
In watching some of the material on Dr. Jeremiah Wright today, I’m reminded of the potential problem of tolerance–getting it above its proper rank as a value. I have been confronted numerous times in face to face discussions with the statement that I cannot be truly tolerant, because to be tolerant, I must tolerate intolerance….
Freedom from (not of) Expression
Ed Brayton notes that the UN Human Rights Council has endorsed an anti-religious speech code proposed by the Organization of the Islamic Conference. I could write about this with the anger and disgust I feel, but Ed already said it so well: Now I am one of those people who is careful to distinguish between…
Ezra Levant and Cartoon Publication
I was planning to write something on this, because I believe this kind of censorship is an egregious violation of human rights, but it appears the man himself can tell his own story just fine. (HT: Pursuing Holiness.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzVJTHIvqw8. Just so.
15 Days for Insulting Mohammed Not Enough for Some
A British teacher was sentenced to 15 days in prison and deportation (which should be a blessing!) for insulting Mohammed. You can read the story here. Yet this outrage is not sufficient to satisfy some Muslim hardliners. There were protests in Khartoum calling for her execution. The teacher, Gillian Gibbons, has said she doesn’t want…