Only 43% of Dems & 41% GOP believe "anti-American
speech" should be protected under free speech laws http://is.gd/cjeX9r
(via @MicahZenko)
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(from Glenn Greenwald)
uh, interesting. Less than half of Americans don't believe in one of our First Amendment rights.And not much difference between folks who identify w/ either of the major parties. I need to write more about this but I'm nearly speechless right now . . .
[it's the same mindset as those who are OK w/ illegal search and seizure--"if you're not hiding anything, then why should you care?" Have we had these rights so long that we have gotten complacent? Have we've been indoctrinated by Fox News, et al? At what point did the majority of Americans take a position that dissent was bad? Maybe it's always been that way, but I wonder about the specific numbers--definitely seems like we're trending conservative, yes? Now, having written that--shouldn't conservatives in particular want to protect Free Speech and the like?]
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Ezra Klein on dead skunks (not really--it's a piece on the economy since 2008, and both parties get called out--good read):
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/the-reality-behind-obama-and-bushs-spending-binge/2012/05/25/gJQAK8ItpU_blog.html
uh, interesting. Less than half of Americans don't believe in one of our First Amendment rights.And not much difference between folks who identify w/ either of the major parties. I need to write more about this but I'm nearly speechless right now . . .
[it's the same mindset as those who are OK w/ illegal search and seizure--"if you're not hiding anything, then why should you care?" Have we had these rights so long that we have gotten complacent? Have we've been indoctrinated by Fox News, et al? At what point did the majority of Americans take a position that dissent was bad? Maybe it's always been that way, but I wonder about the specific numbers--definitely seems like we're trending conservative, yes? Now, having written that--shouldn't conservatives in particular want to protect Free Speech and the like?]
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Ezra Klein on dead skunks (not really--it's a piece on the economy since 2008, and both parties get called out--good read):
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/the-reality-behind-obama-and-bushs-spending-binge/2012/05/25/gJQAK8ItpU_blog.html
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"Ignore what the candidates say they'll do differently on foreign policy. They're basically the same man"--caught my attention. A piece by Aaron David Miller on Foreign Policy: "Barack O'Romney."
(the first suggestion by Miller--Obama names Romney his Secretary of State--is not as far-fetched as it sounds).
Good call, Eric on the lack of tolerance for a dissenting opinion. The 'news' talk shows tend to yell down opinions as part of their format, but the biggest damage done to free speech is the right’s assault on questioning war policy as not patriotic and the left’s stifling charges of racism if someone has a politically incorrect opinion. You scream “racist” or “commie” and you don’t have to win the debate with better ideas, you just shut the debate down with a perceived higher moral ground. We need to stop acknowledging that perception.
ReplyDeleteagreed--and well said
ReplyDelete