Re: Fw: patriotism

[Victor Steinbok <Victor.Steinbok@VERIZON.NET>]

At 5:01 PM -0400 9/24/01, Edward Jenner wrote:
> Seems to me that all those blah blah blah's are freedom of speech too and
> letters to the editor, pretty sure they fall in that category also.   And
> that parent, who from your description seems to have been acting poorly and
> innapropriately around children, nonetheless that was freedom of expression
> also--just a poor example.  It's not as much fun when we don't agree with it
> though, particuarly when the preponderance runs in one direction.  But, I
> still don't see how we've lost our rights to free speech or expression.

Freedom of expression is not the same thing as freedom to express
yourself at the expense of someone else. Consider the standard
libertarian argument against smoking bans--this is the ultimate
expression, according to them, of the power of the state. If *I*
choose to smoke and get ill, it should be my right. The state should
not take it away. Somehow, it is forgotten that the rights of
non-smokers to be free of smoke are violated every time someone puffs
up. Some, in fact, get sick from second hand smoke. If the balance of
rights is violated, the unfairly dominant right can be restricted.
The right NOT to have a flag should not be violated by someone's
right to express his desire for you to have a flag, especially when
this desire is accompanied by a threat.

Notice how many conservatives are rubbing their hands in glee that
the racial profiling issue will be put on the back-burner because of
the terrorist threat. It is, unfortunately, the flip side of the same
principle.

       VS-)

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