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Wednesday, November 09, 2005

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Comments

mare

A good thing you Godwin-ed your own post in the last paragraph.

Denial of the Holocaust is a crime in Germany. Just as selling 'Mein Kampf'. In the US free speech also has its limits. For example I can't say or write "k*ll Bush" for instance, or I could be send to one of the CIA's secret prison's without any trial, fair or not.

I know you don't want any laws, but Free Speech is an American thing, and not always a good one. In Germany there is no such thing as free speech. For many people, including me, all those web-sites hosted in the US and claiming that the Holocaust did not take place and that 6 million victims is a lie, are hard to swallow. You might not lose any sleep over it, but some people, who've lost family members during that same Holocaust that didn't exist, do.

Rogier

Mare:

Not to be impolite, but I don't care much about what you find "hard to swallow," even though I agree with you on an important point -- I find Holocaust deniers distasteful little cretins. If it makes you feel any better, by the way, I consider what *I* find distasteful a case of neither here nor there, too. It's just not relevant. Keep in mind that Zündel and his posse probably find what WE have to say distasteful, too. Does that mean they get to shut US up? Does that mean they get to throw US in jail? Are you saying that anyone whose feelings are hurt deeply and genuinely enough should get the chance to muzzle the offender in question? Are we going to have a contest about who has the thinnest skin; about who can most convincingly emote a supremely 'worthy' form of moral indignation?

Why do you get to have rights that Zündel doesn't?

If freedom of speech only applies to popular beliefs but not to so-called dangerous or impopular ones, then it's a completely useless concept. Maybe that's fine with you. I don't know.

By the way, your "Kill Bush" argument is a bit unconvincing, as Zündel has not called for the killing of anybody or anything (unless the prosecutors know something I don't). Sure, he's a first-class creep, but if being a creep were a crime, half the world's population would be in prison right now. Words are words. Bad words can be countered and nullified with better ones. Sick arguments can be ameliorated by healthy ones. Words are letters. They are not violence.

Matt

I'm not going to get excited when a nation (such as Germany) that doesn't respect free speech...um...doesn't respect free speech.

Dog bites man. Politician betrays constituents. Government grows more powerful and intrusive. Not news.

John palubiski

Umm.... I've a question. What's a "schande"?

John palubiski

The one liability all racists have is a crying lakc of intelligence.

The best way to deal with Zundel is to let him rant and rave openly so that poeple can see he's not all there.

You know I never had anything against "Calypso" Louis Farakhan until, several years ago, I listened to a speech he gave in Washington during his "million man march".


Boy! Let me tell ya! I've sworn off calypso!

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