rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Pesmard Flurrmn) (01/30/85)
> Nazism came to power literally because good men & women DID NOT DO > ENOUGH to oppose it, not because of freedom of speech. The current > price of my freedom of speech is the ancient price: my constant readiness > to oppose tyranny, even at the cost of my "life, fortune, or sacred honor." > If people are not willing to do this, frankly, they deserve the hell on Earth > they get. I think that sums it up. If people aren't willing to stand up for their freedoms, then they're going to disappear. If people are going to assume things like "Hitler (or insert your favorite demagogue here) is an asshole, no reasonable, thinking person would believe what he says", they should realize that reasonableness, rationality, and intelligence are not criteria for voting eligibility, and that non-reasonable, non-thinking people have elected numerous empty demagogues that led them down fascistic paths. I digress. -- "So, it was all a dream!" --Mr. Pither "No, dear, this is the dream; you're still in the cell." --his mother Rich Rosen pyuxd!rlr
jlg@lanl.ARPA (02/01/85)
> > Nazism came to power literally because good men & women DID NOT DO > > ENOUGH to oppose it, not because of freedom of speech. The current > > price of my freedom of speech is the ancient price: my constant readiness > > to oppose tyranny, even at the cost of my "life, fortune, or sacred honor." > > If people are not willing to do this, frankly, they deserve the hell on Earth > > they get. Of course the Nazis came to power by SUPRESSING free speech not by using it. The nationalists (Nazis) had the courts on their side very early after WWI. A history of that period I just read gave some statistics (which, lucky for you, I can't remember all of). In Munich between 1929 and 1931 there were several hundred murders (it was widely known that the nationalists were behind most of them - the graffiti left by the killers was demonstration enough). Only a few arrests were made and, of those, only non-nationalists (you know - Jews, communists, democrats, etc) received convictions. The people who were murdered were mostly those who were outspoken in favor of their own (non-nationalist) ideas like reporters, artists, publishers, bankers, etc.. Protection of free speech is usually sufficient, there are enough of us willing to speak our mind against the crazys of the world if there is the chance to do so. Of course, we should all be really fanatic about protecting free speech. J. Giles
gino@voder.UUCP (Gino Bloch) (02/05/85)
[this line has a right not to be eaten] > Protection of free speech is usually sufficient, there are enough of us > willing to speak our mind against the crazys of the world if there is the > chance to do so. Of course, we should all be really fanatic about protecting > free speech. I totally agree, and I have a growing fear that the need for this kind of fanaticism is growing and will continue to do so (here in the USA). -- Gene E. Bloch (...!nsc!voder!gino) Support Bulgarian gajda players.