Re: Free Speech ain't what it used to be!
Reply #5 –
"Free Speech" may--or may not-- be limited in The Public Square, but it does have limits on just about every forum system I know. Engage in name-calling here, expect to get moderated. If I didn't do it, somebody else would-- we have several here--because this is a privately owned forum.
Here in the States, we have "Freedom of the Press" enshrined in the First Amendment. Now about that: Freedom of the Press really extends only to those who actually own the press. If you write a letter to the editor and expect it to appear on the editorial/personal opinion pages-- it might appear or it might not. Write a scathing letter about the paper's editorial policies and I think I can guarantee that your letter will never see the printing press.
Here, the admins took some time to write a "Terms & Conditions" section--- the "T&C" button above-- that tells you what you can and can't get away with. It's the usual stuff you'll find on most forums-- and I think you'll find that "personal attacks" will get moderated.
"Free Speech" is not an absolute, as with all other "freedoms" you have to exercise some responsibility with it.
Ahhhh---- yelling "Fire-- fire!!!" in a crowded theater just may terminate your right to free speech fatally, as it happens. You could be trampled in the panicked rush to the exits that you started. So--- that might not be one of the better examples to use.