The Arguments Of The Blasphemer

Nothing Should Be Immune 
from Criticism:

Those who favor the punishment of expression critical of religious beliefs will sometimes refer to the right of believers not to be offended. But there is no such right. Obviously, as humanists we respect the worth and dignity of all persons, but that presupposes that we treat others as our equals and not condescend to them as though they were children who cannot accept criticism of their beliefs. Moreover, it is immediately obvious that if such a right were to be recognized, it would effectively prevent any critical examination of religious beliefs—which, of course, is the real goal of those who advocate for the spurious right not to be offended. Framing laws in terms of protecting religious sensibilities cannot obscure the fact that both the intent and effect of these laws is to protect majoritarian religious beliefs and punish dissent. To quote Robert Ingersoll, “The cry of blasphemy means only that the arguments of the blasphemer cannot be answered.”

Amerika's Freedom Of Speech

In Amerika we like our religions, that’s why we don’t tolerate imagination.

From SoCal's atheist billboard taken down by The Associated Press:

Complaints have led to removal of an atheist group's "Imagine No Religion" billboard in Rancho Cucamonga.

The General Outdoor sign company took down the Freedom From Religion Foundation billboard on Thursday after the city asked if there was a way to get it removed. Redevelopment director Linda Daniels says they got 90 complaints.

Freedom Of The Press?

“There can be no press freedom when journalists exist in conditions of corruption, poverty and fear.” Aidan White

“If in other lands the press and books and literature of all kinds are censored, we must redouble our efforts here to keep them free.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

The revolution may not be televised, but it might be YouTubed.

Amy Goodman Arrested at RNC:


From Update: Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar Released After Illegal Arrest at RNC:

Goodman was arrested while questioning police about the unlawful detention of Kouddous and Salazar who were arrested while they carried out their journalistic duties in covering street demonstrations at the Republican National Convention. Goodman’s crime appears to have been defending her colleagues and the freedom of the press.

“The press is like the peculiar uncle you keep in the attic - just one of those unfortunate things.” G. Gordon Liddy

From PZ Myers (Writing about Amy Goodman):

She has been charged with "conspiracy to incite a riot".

She's a well-known peace activist, people. Non-violence and all that. And now the cops are claiming that she is working to incite riots? Be honest: the police are just trying to silence democratic voices.

Oh! The Irony Of It All!

Monticello, Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence, people from 30 countries lined up to be sworn in as US citizens, and some very vocal anti-Bush protesters versus George W. Bush and his Jack-Booted Thugs:


More here and here and here and here.

Read the comments here to see how successfully President Bush has united the United States of America. Some commentators think that the protesters were impolite. Oh my goodness gracious! They should have been more polite, like those that overthrew the original King George!

I find it curious that President Bush chose to ignore the protesters. Except for that odd smirk and laugh he frequently does, he chose to go on about how we have the right to freedom of speech, without any sign that he was aware of what was going on before his very eyes. He could have simply addressed the protesters directly, acknowledged that they had their say, and then asked them to behave themselves out of respect for all involved. Why did he choose not to do this?

If you watch the 9:47 video submitted by msnbcReporter you may end up wondering the same thing as I. Who the hell is Bush winking at?

How Free Are We When It Comes To Speech?

From The 11th Annual Muzzle Awards by Dan Kennedy:

The great civil libertarian Nat Hentoff once said that our sex drive pales in comparison with our urge to censor. It’s an urge that is played out in places high and low, encompassing both the serious and the absurd. Military veterans protesting the war are arrested in Boston and charged with disturbing the peace. An anti-abortion-rights activist in Maine borrows sex-education books from public libraries and refuses to return them. A legislative leader in Rhode Island — the head of John McCain’s presidential campaign in that state — compares anonymous critics to “terrorists,” and helps kill a proposal aimed at guaranteeing their First Amendment rights.

These are just a few of the cases highlighted in our Muzzle Awards, an annual Fourth of July roundup now in its 11th year. Since 1998, the Phoenix has been honoring those who’ve brought dishonor to themselves by trampling on the rights of free speech and personal liberties in New England.

Read the rest here.

Bill O'Reilly Is Un-American

The basic point I see Bill O’Reilly making in this video clip is that he is against freedom of speech. Beyond that, it’s all sensationalism. The right say hateful things about the left and the left say hateful things about the right. Bill O’Reilly thinks it’s wrong for the left to say hateful things about the right and he wants them to be censored. However, he thinks it’s perfectly OK for the right to say hateful things about the left. He is, as we all know, one of the biggest participants in this practice. Bill O’Reilly has a right to say whatever he wants to say. Where he is wrong is that he doesn’t think that any other Americans also have that right.

We No Longer Have Freedom Of Speech

George W. Bush lied each time he took the Oath of Office for the President of the United States:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

The First Amendment to the Constitution is as follows:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

George W. Bush doesn’t like this ad:

So he has the Justice Department go after the people that produced the ad. Scott Horton has more on this here:

Well, here’s an example. At just this time, out in Michigan, in a criminal case we have chronicled previously in which the Justice Department seeks to protect the nation from that horrendous scourge—trial lawyers raising money for Democratic candidates—a young Justice apparatchik was busily issuing criminal subpoenas to a media company named Sussman Sikes. The subpoenas require the company to produce all materials related to a television advertisement that the company had prepared for the Fieger law firm.

And what had prompted this? The PR company had done an advertisement which showed President George W. Bush speaking disparagingly about the Fieger law firm, and it sought to turn this around to the law firm’s benefit.

So to defend the dignity of his commander-in-chief (I use this term advisedly, since it’s clear that this man is, contrary to his oath of office, not taking direction from the laws or the Constitution), the young assistant U.S. attorney has launched out to harass and intimidate the PR firm that made the commercial. Next no doubt he will be sending FBI agents into TV stations to serve subpoenas and seize copies of the advertisement.

You may have thought that you enjoyed freedom of speech and that the Department of Justice existed to protect your rights. That might even have been true of prior embodiments of the Department of Justice. But it’s not true for the Bush Department of Justice, which is intent on simultaneously demonstrating its arrogant abuse of power and its contempt for the nation’s Constitution and laws.