Chutzpah And Free Speech (Only Intellectuals Could Write Something This Stupid Alert)

Los Angeles Times ^ | 07/11/05 | Jon Weiner

[goldstategop]

But for Dershowitz to try to stop publication of the book is simply unacceptable. The appropriate response to speech that is wrong is not to silence it, but to argue against it — because nobody has a monopoly on the truth.

Dershowitz, of course, knows all this. He has said he doesn't want to suppress Finkelstein's freedom of speech, but that he wants to ensure that "maliciously false statements about me … are not published." In fact, he says he supports publication of Finkelstein's book — by some publisher other than UC Press, which, he told me, should not "give its imprimatur" to Finkelstein's work. Instead, he said, it should be published by "the kind of publisher that publishes those kinds of books."

[goldstategop]

Jon Weiner thinks a university prestige press ought to publish a crackpot Hitler lovers' work that libels Alan Dershowitz cause its free speech. He thinks Dershowitz as a private individual should just put up with possible damage to his reputation. In the name of free speech. Some things are so stupid only an intellectual could write them. The same people advocating the unfettered right of anti-Semites to defame good people are the same people who support government restrictions on political speech.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[SteveMcKing]

"The same people advocating the unfettered right of anti-Semites to defame good people are the same people who support government restrictions on political speech."

Who's "the same people"?

Is this hypothetical? Who is doing this?

[goldstategop]

The Left. They supported McCain-Feingold. They think the government ought to monitor what people can say during a political campaign.Then they turn around and hold there should be no restrictions on crackpots telling lies about people.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[SteveMcKing]

"Then they turn around and hold there should be no restrictions on crackpots telling lies about people."

Slander or libel is already illegal. Always has been.

[goldstategop]

A vanity press like Noontide that only the crackpots read. A lie shouldn't receive the official imprimatur of a legitimate publisher. If Hitler lover Finkelstein wants to publish his garbage he's perfectly free to but no one ought to mistake him for a serious scholar.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[Reactionary]

"...because nobody has a monopoly on the truth."

I'm left wondering who's ever insisted that the truth belonged solely to them? No one, perhaps?

After all, it would appear that the truth isn't a thing. It can't be locked away in a closet; it can't be "owned" by anyone.

[rogue yam]

Your calling Mr. Finkelstein a "Hitler lover" makes you seem like a crackpot. Mr. Finkelstein is as entitled to his opinions as any other American. You can disagree with him without resorting to wild slander. If his book contains lies which cause harm to Mr. Dershowitz, then the courts are available to Mr. Dershovitz should he choose to seek redress. I think it was illegitimate to request of the Governor that he tell U.C. Press how to do their jobs. I am grateful that the Governor refused this request. I think you are letting your emotions cloud your judgement on this issue.

[goldstategop]

Finkelstein's entitled to his opinion but by the same token I don't have to accept his characterization of the Holocaust as a Zionist conspiracy as legitimate. Dershowitz used legal channels to make his case and the Governor had the right to turn him down. I was stating how I see things going in this case of Dershowitz vs Finkelstein.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[goldstategop]

I'm not saying Finkelstein can't get published in this country. I'm just of the opinion he doesn't deserve the implied recognition he's a serious scholar. He's not.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[general_re]

I'm not saying Finkelstein can't get published in this country.

Nor, it should be pointed out, was Dershowitz insisting that Finkelstein not be allowed to publish in this country. Instead, he simply asked whether the people of the state of California were prepared to lend their backing to Finkelstein's book, which is, in all likelihood, a piece of s***. UC Press is free to publish or not publish, and Dersh is free to ask them to decide one way or another. Such is the nature of discourse in the public sphere.

[markedman]

Dershowitz may be Left of Center on most issues where you and I would be on the Right, but say what you will about Dershowitz, this man is THE ONLY American patriot on the left.

He is being punished because now that its finally showtime for all Americans to stand up and show whose side they are on in the War on Terror, Dershowitz angered the Stalinist Left when he decided to stand with the President and US Armed Forces both in Gitmo and Iraq.

And Alan Dershowitz's comments on how we might not be subjecting our Guests at the Gitmo and Abu Garib Resorts to enough coercion, makes them absolutely apoplectic.

[goldstategop]

Yep. Dershowitz has made the case for torture in certain circumstances. He thinks its perfectly appropriate to "Bauer" terrorist suspects to save lives. Of course that drives the terror-loving Left nuts!

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)