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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Noel de Leon who wrote (181431)	2/8/2006 11:42:54 PM
From: Lazarus_Long	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

In Denmark you can bad mouth anyone. There are consequences as there are in the US. In that sense there was freedom of speech in the old USSR too. You could say anything you wanted- -once. That's a total evasion. "Freedom of ..." means you get to do something WITHOUT governmemntal consequences. There are some limits on freedom of speech in the US too. You can't legally start a panic. You can't legally incite a riot. If you defame someone, you can be sued. But most things are allowed, including saying or publishing matters that apparently are illegal in Denmark. You CAN legally publish a cartoon such as any of those and the gov't can do nothing about it. "Are the poor SOBs that published those cartoons going to jail?" No. But the Department of Justice is looking into the possibility of prosecuting Jyllands Postens editor. Exactly what I meant. "When did you lose fredom of the press? Or did you never have it?" Silly question. Have main stream US media printed the cartoons? As of yesterday the answer was no. Which means that, according to your way of thinking, freedom of press is less in the US than it is in Denmark. I believe that main stream media in the US has been far more responsible than many European papers. Of course one can also find the cartoons in the US, just not in the main stream media. The answer as far as I know is still no. You can attribute that to cowardice on the part of our mainstream media. If they DID publish them, the US gov't could do NOTHING about it. They are clearly what the USSC meant by "protected free speech". I don't call that responsibility; I call it cowardice. I applaud the European editors who HAVE decided to publish them. Maybe our editors should visit yours to find out where their backbone is again. One can also find those cartons on the Web. THAT means they are worldwide. What are the Muslims going to do declare war on the entire world? The government authorizes which religions can marry people. That's it. That's a lot more reasonable, although not in line with what you preciously implied. Still excessive gov't control, though. No need for it. "Would Martin Luther have been hanged in Denmark for starting the Protestant Reformation? After all, he did badmouth both Catholics and the Pope?" Don't know, Catholics hanged and burned quite a few as did Protestants. Lurther bad mouthed the Jews so much that the basis for the pogroms was reinforced. Yes, Europe spent more than a century straightening out that little mess. That's precisely why gov't should stay clear of religion. "And what about those nasty atheists? Are they fair game?" Silly question It is hardly a silly question if a gov't is allowed to dictate religion. Check out Saudi Arabia. You'd BETTER be Muslim there. "How far would charges of pedophilia against Catholic priests get in Denmark? Would the charger or the priest go to jail?" Anybody convicted of pedophilia would either go to jail or to medical/psychiatric care. Note people who are charged with a crime don't go to jail before they are convicted unless there is a danger that they would flee or collaborate with there cohorts to concoct an alibi. Good enough. I am surprised, though, that they wouldn't be jailed until they posted bail, though. Or did you not mean that? "Are texts on biology that mention evolution allowed in in Denmark?" Silly question. Ask those from Dover,Pa. about ID. We are currently having a problem convincing a certain segment of our population that freedom of religion and separation of church and state are good ideas. Not the first time. We'll get it straightened out. "Christ (WHOOPS!) and we thought WE had problems with fundie Protestants!" The US does. Far greater than in Denmark. We do not have any attacks on abortion clinics. We did. The attackers are serving life or very long prison sentences. Others who might have that on their mind seem to have noted that.