Quote of the Day - Free Speech

Everyone is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day passes without its being extolled, but some people's idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone else says anything back, that is an outrage. – Winston Churchill

Was Winston Churchill a time traveler? Because this quote is more certainly true today than it was during Churchill's lifetime. This week, no less than a Supreme Court Justice stated in oral arguments, "My biggest concern is that your view has the First Amendment hamstringing the government in significant ways."

Well, yes, Justice, that's the point of the First Amendment. It exists to hamstring government control of ideas. That is its feature. It is not a bug.

We now have concerted campaigns by the left to quash disinformation. Of course, disinformation is defined as anything not in agreement with the catechisms of the left. They can say whatever they like, however outrageous, while anything in disagreement with them is disinformation and must be controlled. The concept is Fascist and Stalinist.

In Scotland J. K. Rowlings has made free speech her hill to die on. Following Thoreau's principles of civil disobedience, she is repeatedly flouting a Scots law that makes "misgendering" a crime. She is defying the Scots government to arrest her after it takes effect on April 1st by publicly stating a truth: sex is assigned at birth and cannot be changed by proclamation. I disagree with most of her politics (although I would never challenge her right to state her beliefs - even those I disagree with), but I admire her stand in defense of truth and free speech.

When I was much younger, I was much less of a free speech absolutist. I was on a message board (1980s dial-up modems) a friend was running. One participant was telling egregious lies on it. I urged my friend to kick him off. His response was to refuse. The solution for bad speech, he told me, is more speech, not censorship. If he is lying, call him out. Point out his lies. But don't silence him. Silencing always makes others wonder what you have to hide, why ideas he is sharing cannot be spoken aloud. You will empower him.

So it proved. This fraud was active on several message boards. The ones that banned him made his circle of believers grow. The ones that allowed him to stay, but mocked him, caused his influence to wane. My friend (who was older than me) proved correct. I have remembered that ever since.