karl@sugar.hackercorp.com (Karl Lehenbauer) (02/05/91)
In article <houch.665429555@cavern> houch@cavern.mitre.org (James A. Houchens) writes: >I don't see this as a freedom of speech vs. censorship issue. It is absolutely a freedom of speech issue. Not necessarily Constitutionally protected free speech, but free speech in the sense of what Usenet has largely been, with a few glaring exceptions like yours. >If a child molester publicly stated his perverted desires, society >would then be aware of him. >If he did so without remorse (such as Feldstein has stated his anti- soldier >sentiment), then society would be angry, not because he desired children >sexually, but because his entire personality was repulsive. It's not freedom-of-speech versus censorship, it's almost-a-child-molester whose entire personality is repulsive, eh? >In Feldstein's case, he admitted his beliefs on company letterhead, >using company facilities, and anger towards the company is well >founded. ...and you have admitted yours. And you would like to continue to be able to, I imagine. Are only "correct" opinions, i.e. your opinions, to be posted? Feldstein should not suffer losing his job for stating his opinions. If he were to do what he said he wants to do, spit on soldiers, etc, he would certainly be booked for assault. Almost everyone, myself included, will be glad to see him get in trouble when that happens, but you've got to separate the opinion... his rhetoric, from the act. And you have to let him post, let everyone post, a lot of things that TOTALLY PISS YOU OFF, without trying to get those people in trouble, if we are going to to be able to freely state our opinions on the net. (I note that you are posting from Mitre Corporation. Unlike you, I won't try to get you in trouble with your management for what you have done so far.) >I'm sure there are people out there who share Feldstein's ideas, but have >kept their mouths shut. Such people may work down the hall. Unfortunately, >like the perverts who may live in my neighborhood, I do not know who they are. >But we do know about Feldstein. I must admit frankly that you are scaring the hell out of me, Mister this-isn't-about-free-speech-but-I-will-make-ominous-but-unspecified-threats- against-anyone-who-thinks-likewise. "A free society is one where it is safe to be unpopular." -- Adlai Stevenson First as to speech. That privelege rests upon the premise that there is no proposition so uniformly acknowledged that it may not be lawfully challenged, questioned and debated. It need not rest upon the further premise that there are no propositions that are not open to doubt; it is enough, even if there are, that in the end it is worse to suppress dissent than run the risk of heresy. Hence it has again and again been unconditionally proclaimed that there are no limits to the privelege so far as words seek to affect only the hearers' beliefs and not their conduct. -- Judge Learned Hand, _The Spirit of Liberty_ -- -- uunet!sugar!karl --