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Freedom of Speech is not Freedom to Prevent Speech

Reader comment on item: Speaker Shouted Down at U.C.-Irvine
in response to reader comment: FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Submitted by G Woodworth (United States), Feb 13, 2007 at 02:39

Hatitti states: "AS LONG AS THERE IS NO VIOLENCE, PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXPRESS THEIR FEELINGS EVERYWHERE. "

No, not EVERYWHERE. Freedom of Speech is not "Freedom to Disrupt." There is a proper time and place. Those who wish to disagree are entirely free to hold their own meeting where they can express their own opinions. They are also free to speak in the time provided during the Q&A session. But they are NOT free to disrupt another person's meeting or lecture and try to prevent him from expressing his. You are confusing the freedom to SPEAK with the freedom to DISRUPT. There is no freedom to disrupt! There is no freedom to prevent someone else's speech. Furthermore, a speech is not an open debate. There is a difference. Would you be allowed to go into a church (or maybe I should say a mosque), create a disturbance, and start arguing with the sermon? A sermon is not a debate any more than a speech is.

And don't offer a specious analogy to Parliament (which we don't have in this country anyway). Our Congress is governed by Rules of Order. NOBODY is allowed to create mayhem or to PREVENT anybody else from speaking.

I don't know why Third Worlders, in particular, have such great difficulty in comprehending what is meant by Freedom of Speech (perhaps because they're so unused to it), but those who can't grasp it reveal themselves as no asset to this country. If they can't comprehend it and accept it, they should be removed. That's why their countries are all in such chaos and they want to come and live here. Then they want to bring the same chaos with them that they left behind. In such hands, this fragile democracy that was left to us by The Founders will not long last.

And incidentally, there is no Amendment called "Freedom of Expression." You could "express" yourself in a thousand different ways, but speech is limited to one thing only: speaking.

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Reader comments (48) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Please read and see the video below [135 words]Please readFeb 17, 2010 11:57169057
gratitude [123 words]jennifer solisAug 26, 2007 03:34106989
Anti-Semitism in America and Our Universities [1540 words]gary fouseJul 28, 2007 02:52105019
Disruptions on College Campuses [187 words]Bob JackFeb 13, 2007 17:2377063
It's Their Right [253 words]Debby MayerFeb 13, 2007 16:0277050
Possible responses [76 words]abraham irwinFeb 13, 2007 13:5777037
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION [39 words]HATITTIFeb 12, 2007 18:0876942
Freedom of Speech is not Freedom to Prevent Speech [335 words]G WoodworthFeb 13, 2007 02:3976942
In support of your position [97 words]Bob JackFeb 14, 2007 08:5676942
Whose "freedom of speech"? [478 words]G.WoodworthFeb 12, 2007 09:3476887
Righteous indignation... [275 words]donvanFeb 13, 2007 15:3976887
I'm depressed [109 words]concernedFeb 10, 2007 13:0076721
Don't let the knockers convince you [150 words]RPaineFeb 13, 2007 12:1476721
re: RPaine [263 words]concernedFeb 14, 2007 11:0076721
dumb stupid/stupid dumb [150 words]dfwhite19438Feb 9, 2007 18:1576654
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UC-Irvine [39 words]GumboFeb 9, 2007 11:4076640
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Anti Opression ? [115 words]abdul khanFeb 8, 2007 11:4976552
Dr. Pipes where where the moderates that you claim exist. Where they there? If not, why not? [65 words]gellin&infidellinFeb 8, 2007 11:0976550
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Irvine [78 words]steven LFeb 7, 2007 22:2476482
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wash my hands [61 words]andre cassanoFeb 7, 2007 19:5576426
Speaker shouted down at UC Irvine [49 words]faqiFeb 8, 2007 03:4876426
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Pipes at Irvine [114 words]steven LFeb 7, 2007 22:4276424
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