| Topic Name: |
Why free speech is important |
| Message Name: |
Why free speech is important |
| Date Posted: |
05/20/2001 |
| Message: |
Without free speech, whoever??s in power can say whatever they want, and no-one can contradict them. Whoever??s in power can kill people for whatever reason they want, and no one can speak out against them. This is the present situation in China. This is tyranny. As Thomas Jefferson said ??Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God.?? Without free speech, your life can be taken away from you because someone else chooses to take it. That is why Voltaire said, ??I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.?? Free speech is one of the most important liberties, and that is why it is the first amendment to our constitution:
??Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise therof; 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.??
[Quotes by Thomas Jefferson and Voltaire from ??The Great Thoughts?? by George Seldes. And excellent book, everyone should read it.]
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