Attack on free speech is real issue

jwr ^ | 2 26 06 | george will

[flixxx]

In some recess of David Irving's reptile brain, he knows that his indefensible imprisonment is helping his side. His side consists of all the enemies of open societies.

[flixxx]

I really hate that Irving is going to become a martyr for his idiotic, venomous cause...

[SpaceBar]

He won't become a martyr anymore than a drug trafficker caught in Singapore becomes a martyr. He was well aware of the law in Austria before he opened his mouth.

[Pontiac]

To protect the fragile flower of womanhood, a judge has ruled that use of gender-based terms such as "foreman" or "draftsman" could create a "hostile environment" and hence constitute sexual harassment. To improve all of us, people with various agendas are itching to get government to regulate speech of this or that sort.

Has anybody heard of this ruling?

It is just idiotic enough to be true.

[Pontiac]

He won't become a martyr anymore than a drug trafficker caught in Singapore becomes a martyr. He was well aware of the law in Austria before he opened his mouth.

I think if you read the article you will understand that Will is saying that Irving’s prosecution is a mistake in that Holocaust deniers have a limited audience who are generally crackpots, and that prosecuting him weakens the right to free speech.

[John Locke]

He was well aware of the law in Austria before he opened his mouth.

Well, no, he wasn't, because the law didn't exist. He was charged under a law that was enacted three years after his speech.

[SpaceBar]

I was skeptical of your claim and checked the Yahoo News story and what you say appears to be true.