Re: Laws, Feds, & the Internet
"Free" speech has always been a balancing act. The founders certainly didn't intend to provide "free" speech for blacks and women.
The Founders created a larger space for free speech than had ever existed. Slaves were deprived of many freedoms including speech, of course, but women and free blacks were included in the Bill of Rights and exercised free speech, frequently compellingly. Check out Frederick Douglass' practicing oration while still a slave, and then winning his freedom to become one of the greatest abolitionist orators. Consider the appreciation of diversity of thought and speech manifested by Jefferson, Lincoln and many other American political leaders.
. . . "They" have never liked "free" speech ... :-(
Invoking poitically 'correct' stereotypes does not strengthen your argument. David Sallach -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Version: 2.6.2 mQCNAy8kkMQAAAEEALKOD1O8IVPKHX2qZa+iRz1gqI+uc5lnPAfGYzBSkKDGDdDO CpZEsblWUkVNdRq/ac5elFFvLAtege+pgWmIFdtPnDtJRhHRjXUjB+aYwzue5+Xb C+FoT0j5jwl356gdNiOgUxTYx1dDMcA+VotjDNDvsai3AQaJZU6BpjnLW0KBAAUR tB5EYXZpZCBMLiBTYWxsYWNoIDxkbHNAbWNzLmNvbT4= =g/d6 -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- In article <m0rdBe4-000k50C@mailbox.mcs.com>, dls@mcs.com (David Sallach) wrote: [Rich Dutcher wrote:]
"Free" speech has always been a balancing act. The founders certainly didn't intend to provide "free" speech for blacks and women.
The Founders created a larger space for free speech than had ever existed. Slaves were deprived of many freedoms including speech, of course, but women and free blacks were included in the Bill of Rights and exercised free speech, frequently compellingly.
And hard on the heels of the ratification of the Bill of Rights came the Alien and Sedition Acts. The Founders were so distressed by the size of the space for free expresion they had allowed to be created that they took immediate steps to limit it. It is well to remember that the Bill of Rights was a bone thrown by the Founders (that is, the Federalists) to sweeten the bitter pill of the process of centralizing government power. An afterthought, actually.
. . . "They" have never liked "free" speech ... :-(
Invoking poitically 'correct' stereotypes does not strengthen your argument.
Arguing _ad_hominem_ doesn't strengthen yours. Alan Bostick | The nice thing about quotes is that they give abostick@netcom.com | a nodding acquaintance with the originator finger for PGP public key | which is often socially impressive. Key fingerprint: | Kenneth Williams 50 22 FB 46 41 A3 17 9D F7 33 FF E1 4E 1C 89 79 +legal_kludge=off -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.1 iQB1AgUBL0BNnuVevBgtmhnpAQEe7wL/aNjOHyflJHfcRrHdxa73Xt9Hu8eTD4kx +gWQpMpeJHLhQk+Gey3epbqXDkjT0YOFI3xUtcjotGRnHhisIbhPztYOCZBxhSLE WkozOBCZpz2t6a+Z3cPYRH/jBk7aCWBd =XDZA -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
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