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To: jlallen who wrote (19702)	8/23/2002 9:28:49 AM
From: Bridge Player	Respond to of 21057

I did not say that his beliefs did not trouble me, I merely was pointing out that you were essentially accusing him of having them.

To: jlallen who wrote (19702)	8/24/2002 9:18:27 PM
From: E	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 21057

Apparently the core principles of lying, libeling, imputing unfounded and fanciful criminal motives to our elected officials connected to the war effort, retailing crackpot conspiracy theories and undermining our government while we are in the midst of a war does not trouble you??? What troubles me and what makes me want to silence the freedom of expression of my fellow Americans are two different things. We are always in the "midst of a war," JLA. A war for reputation and influence and power and survival and resources. The war to make the world see us as the greatest nation on earth -- and fear us, too. That's reality. The current more dramatic and immediate war, the one to which you refer when you want to silence criticism of the President, the war against the Islamists who want us and our civilization dead (which did not begin on September 11, 2001 btw), will continue indefinitely. Do you believe otherwise? Do you believe it will end any time soon? Are you proposing that we average American citizens give up our right to criticize our government and its officials forever? How about indefinitely? To speculate outrageously about them, to curse them, to disrespect them? This country would be unrecognizable if that were to come about. Fear would replace freedom of speech. And would you still believe that if Bill Clinton were to run again and win? How about if Al Gore runs and wins? Will you, until terrorism is no longer a threat to us or our allies, consider that criticizing government officials is "sedition"? "Traitorous"? You don't get to decide what's "fanciful" and "crackpot." You know who does? The Marketplace of Ideas, that's who. That's why banning political speech in free-for-all settings is unAmerican. We rely on the Marketplace of Ideas, not on suppression of speech. What good Americans do imo and that of the founding fathers is answer wrong political speech (in their opinion) with their own political speech.