Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news.harvard.edu!noc.near.net!howland.reston.ans.net!usc!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!linac!att!att-out!cbnewsl!sethr
From: sethr@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (seth.r.rosenthal)
Subject: Re: Freedom In U.S.A.
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Date: Mon, 26 Apr 1993 15:58:18 GMT
Message-ID: <C63Lp9.65A@cbnewsl.cb.att.com>
References: <1993Apr25.193413.8585@news.columbia.edu> <1993Apr25.221603.3260@Virginia.EDU>
Lines: 51

In article <1993Apr25.221603.3260@Virginia.EDU>, ab4z@Virginia.EDU ("Andi Beyer") writes:
> jaa12@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu  writes:
> > Dear Mr. Beyer:
> > 
> > It is never wise to confuse "freedom of speech" with "freedom"
> > of racism and violent deragatory."
> > 
> > It is unfortunate that many fail to understand this crucial 
> > distinction.
> 
> 	In fact, if a speach was not offensive to some, its
> protection under Freedom of speach laws would be useless. It is
> speach that some find questionable that must be protected, be
> it religiously blasphemous or inherently racist. It is only
> through civilized discourse and not scare tactics that one can
> enlighten those that one perceives to be ignorant. That is the
> idea behind freedom of expression.
> 	What you find offensive might be perceived as truth by
> some and what they might find offensive might be your belief.
> It is only through free exchange of ideas (and insults as the
> case seems to be with this channel) that one can change
> another's erring ways.That is why Jefferson said that here 
> we are not afraid to "tolerate error so long as reason is left to 
> combat it". 

Those who forward offensive posts to the sysadmin aren't curtailing
anyones' freedom of speech.  The neo-nazi movement has a right to
make speeches, say anything they want.  They do not have a right
to have these speeches published by the N.Y. Times.  That depends
on the Times analysis of the economic and to somewhat extent
newsworthy value of those speeches.  Likewise to the sysadmin
of this fellows system.  If he feels his resources are being
used in a manner that is not in his best interests, or are
perhaps embarassing to his organization, he will act just as
the New York Times does, not to be a conduit for these ideas.
The poster is after all free-loading off of someone else's
pocket book when he posts.  He who controls the purse strings
has the right to make the decision how he wants those funds
spent or not spent.

Noone is going to put the poster in jail, unless he bombs a local
building as a symbol of his hatred.  Freedom of Speech in no
way equates to accessibility to conduits of information.  The
market of ideas has its own "natural selection" process that
weeds out the ga-ga from the credible ideas that are of
importance.


		Seth Rosenthal

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own not my employers'.
