The slow death of free speech

[Valmy]

The general mood towards anything anti-Israel was pretty unsympathetic in New York City in 2002...

Well it was a weird time.

[Razgovory]

Also, not all examples from the article were absurd, even if they were just anecdotal.  Shouting down a speaker at a university event with obscenities doesn't strike me as acceptable, for instance.

The only times I've seen that done in my anecdotal experience is when Zionist students shouted down Palestinian speakers or anti-occupation/anti-Zionist speakers. 

I used to hang around the outskirts of a small pro-Palestine demonstration in Union Square on Saturday afternoons, around the time of the Second Intifada, and saw them get repeatedly attacked: bottles and bags of garbage thrown at them, liquid thrown on them, pushed, slapped, etc. (not to mention screaming obscenities), and eventually the leader of the demo was punched in the face and knocked down, then kicked in the body while he was down.  It did some damage to one of his knees.

Somehow I don't think that's the sort of thing Mr. Steyn wants to publicize.

[Valmy]

Somehow I don't think that's the sort of thing Mr. Steyn wants to publicize.

Because the fact that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is full of irrational violence is a secret?  Wouldn't want that one to get out!

[Jacob]

Somehow I don't think that's the sort of thing Mr. Steyn wants to publicize.

Because the fact that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is full of irrational violence is a secret?  Wouldn't want that one to get out!

Well some people hold that only one side is being irrationally violent, primarily driven by the fact that their position is objectively wrong and unreasonable. The other side does use force, but only when necessary.

[Camerus]

Also, not all examples from the article were absurd, even if they were just anecdotal.  Shouting down a speaker at a university event with obscenities doesn't strike me as acceptable, for instance.

The only times I've seen that done in my anecdotal experience is when Zionist students shouted down Palestinian speakers or anti-occupation/anti-Zionist speakers. 

I used to hang around the outskirts of a small pro-Palestine demonstration in Union Square on Saturday afternoons, around the time of the Second Intifada, and saw them get repeatedly attacked: bottles and bags of garbage thrown at them, liquid thrown on them, pushed, slapped, etc. (not to mention screaming obscenities), and eventually the leader of the demo was punched in the face and knocked down, then kicked in the body while he was down.  It did some damage to one of his knees.

Yeah, that's pretty terrible.   

[Razgovory]

Somehow I don't think that's the sort of thing Mr. Steyn wants to publicize.

Because the fact that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is full of irrational violence is a secret?  Wouldn't want that one to get out!

No cause Mr. Steyn isn't keen on Muslims.

[jimmy olsen]

Also, not all examples from the article were absurd, even if they were just anecdotal.  Shouting down a speaker at a university event with obscenities doesn't strike me as acceptable, for instance.

The only times I've seen that done in my anecdotal experience is when Zionist students shouted down Palestinian speakers or anti-occupation/anti-Zionist speakers. 

I used to hang around the outskirts of a small pro-Palestine demonstration in Union Square on Saturday afternoons, around the time of the Second Intifada, and saw them get repeatedly attacked: bottles and bags of garbage thrown at them, liquid thrown on them, pushed, slapped, etc. (not to mention screaming obscenities), and eventually the leader of the demo was punched in the face and knocked down, then kicked in the body while he was down.  It did some damage to one of his knees.

Somehow I don't think that's the sort of thing Mr. Steyn wants to publicize.

You'd be wrong. He defends all sides right to speak whether he's keen on them or not.

[Razgovory]

Also, not all examples from the article were absurd, even if they were just anecdotal.  Shouting down a speaker at a university event with obscenities doesn't strike me as acceptable, for instance.

The only times I've seen that done in my anecdotal experience is when Zionist students shouted down Palestinian speakers or anti-occupation/anti-Zionist speakers. 

I used to hang around the outskirts of a small pro-Palestine demonstration in Union Square on Saturday afternoons, around the time of the Second Intifada, and saw them get repeatedly attacked: bottles and bags of garbage thrown at them, liquid thrown on them, pushed, slapped, etc. (not to mention screaming obscenities), and eventually the leader of the demo was punched in the face and knocked down, then kicked in the body while he was down.  It did some damage to one of his knees.

Somehow I don't think that's the sort of thing Mr. Steyn wants to publicize.

You'd be wrong. He defends all sides right to speak whether he's keen on them or not.

That strikes me as unlikely, especially coming from Mr. Limbaugh's sit in.

[Jacob]

You'd be wrong. He defends all sides right to speak whether he's keen on them or not.

Link?

[sbr]

That's true & all but there's a difference between legal rights regarding speech and the concept of free speech.

How do you define the concept of free speech?

[Razgovory]

Some one who raves about the insidious influence of Muslims and the corrosiveness of "Multiculturalism" doesn't strike me as a the defender of free speech.  Find me an occasion where the radical Islamist were silenced and he spoke up for them.

[Valmy]

Well some people hold that only one side is being irrationally violent, primarily driven by the fact that their position is objectively wrong and unreasonable. The other side does use force, but only when necessary.

That may have been true at some point but both sides have had the loonies take over.

[Valmy]

Some one who raves about the insidious influence of Muslims and the corrosiveness of "Multiculturalism" doesn't strike me as a the defender of free speech.

It does seem silly to worry about that sort of thing when there is absolutely no difference between different cultures except pledges of allegiances.

But anyway I do not know what sort of wackos Tim is quoting I can only respond to what he quotes them saying.

[Razgovory]

Well some people hold that only one side is being irrationally violent, primarily driven by the fact that their position is objectively wrong and unreasonable. The other side does use force, but only when necessary.

That may have been true at some point but both sides have had the loonies take over.

   I guess if we were all like you, our irrationality would be perfectly obvious.  What a privileged position you have.

[Valmy]

   I guess if we were all like you, our irrationality would be perfectly obvious.  What a privileged position you have.

I am pretty irrational.  Makes it easy to spot.