Based on the US experience, the sales pitch that all is wonderful has failed and keeps failing, simply because the selling doesn't live up to reality. In the US we used to call this, Wrapping yourself up in the flag." Or as the British Dr. Johnson once wrote, "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." In the US we have added an amended version of Doc Johnson's statement, which is, "Calling racism is the new last refuge of a scoundrel." Case in point is the reverend Al Sharpton who call racism at every junction and if there isn't anything to talk about like a police killing, he will make one up out of whole cloth, as he did with the Tawanna Brawley incident years ago. He tends to take huge sums from big corporations so as to avoid picketing and protestors outside company headquarters. Needless to state, it has been profitable for him, personally, without changing the corporate climate or the number of black American's actually hired. As far as freedom goes, most people in the US only care about it when its restricted for themselves, and, in any case, most have zero to really say. The US is the same country whose voters would sell their votes for free cell phones, food stamps (subsidized purchases), and fatter welfare checks. I don't see this changing anytime soon and do expect Mama Clinton, in the US to win the presidency in 2016. -----Original Message----- From: Telmo Menezes <te...@telmomenezes.com> To: everything-list <everything-list@googlegroups.com> Sent: Mon, Jan 19, 2015 1:30 pm Subject: Re: Free Speech is not Free unless it is allowed for every point of view
On Sun, Jan 18, 2015 at 10:15 PM, LizR <lizj...@gmail.com> wrote: Seconded (I am allowed to say that, right?) Of course it isn't just France. And some countries go one step further and actively brainwash their citizens from an early age into thinking they are wonderful, and thus try to prevent even the possibility of "thoughtcrime". I completely agree with you and Chris on this. The tragic thing for me, as an European, is that the USA were the ones leading the way in terms of free speech. Europe never adopted something as strong as the first amendment. Europeans love to say the "free speech has its limits", which is a nonsensical, in my opinion. I always assume that Europe would catch up with the USA on this. Unfortunately, it seems that the opposite is happening. On 18 January 2015 at 17:06, 'Chris de Morsella' via Everything List <everything-list@googlegroups.com> wrote: It is sad to see, for France has such a heritage, but it seems there is diminishing actual functioning Free Speech rights in France; when scores of people are getting arrested and thrown into jail for unpopular free speech, which in France has now become the new Orwellian thought crime of “supporting terrorism”. Either Free Speech applies to all; or it does not apply. If unpopular – and even repugnant -- free speech is punished with long jail terms; then the state sanctioned mechanisms are in place for destroying effective right of free speech, which soon becomes free only when it reflects the desire of those who rule. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
