On Fri, 20 Apr 2001, Rick Adams wrote:
>
> I _don't_ feel that publishing information about doctors who perform
> abortions should be banned as illegal speech--that's censorship. On the
> other hand, I _do_ feel that publishing those names and addresses should
> be actionable or prosecutionable under right to privacy laws, which would
> result in the same effect w/o limiting our speech in other areas.
OK, I think I'm beginning to understand Rick's position. One
doesn't have the right to publish someone's address, because this
violates his right to privacy.
But one does have the right to publish an encouragement to murder
someone (or, for that matter, to commit genocide, as in the radio
broadcasts in Rwanda), because the publisher is merely exercising
his right to free speech.
In the words of that great and unpretentious thinker, Richard
Feynman, something's a little screwy here.
I could also add that while it can be argued that publishing
someone's address violates that person's right to privacy, it can
also be argued that it's merely the exercise of free speech for
the publisher. So what it comes down to is that free speech for
murder is more acceptable than free speech for addresses.
Something's _very_ screwy here!
> As far as the murder of physicians goes--to me, the webmaster of a site
> which _encouraged_ the murder of anyone (and provided information to
> facilitate that murder) should be prosecuted as an accessory to murder,
> from my perspective. Certainly, that would have the same net result (if
> not a more powerful one) that censorship would affect, but would do so w/o
> limiting our freedoms.
With one small difference. Your way, someone gets murdered.
Perhaps that's a small price to pay to protect someone's right
to incite murder. But I wouldn't think so.
Or (anticipating a counter-argument), perhaps that liability
would make the webmaster cautious enough to kick the
murder-facilitator off the website. But that would be censorship!
Only it's now in the hands of the webmaster rather than the law.
Is that preferable?
-Stephen
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Stephen Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470
Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661
Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Lennoxville, QC
J1M 1Z7
Canada Department web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy
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