Our 1st Amendment....

[fairsheet]

..learn something every day. At least among the world's larger and more significant constitutional republics, rather than being the norm, the free speech proviso within our 1st amendment is unique. No other significant democracy - not France, not the UK, not Germany....has anywhere in their constitution, the absolute protection of expression, that ours does.

I bring this up because all sorts of people, from within this forum, clear up to the MSM, appear to be pontificating around the "Charlie Hebdo" tragedy, from OUR constitutional perspective, not that of France specifically or the EU in general.

It's interesting. Our Constitution is absolute in terms of protecting actors like "Charlie Hebdo", yet American society doesn't accept their filth. France has the constitutional wherewithal to put the kibosh on said filth, but it choses not to.

 

[as seen on tv]

..learn something every day. At least among the world's larger and more significant constitutional republics, rather than being the norm, the free speech proviso within our 1st amendment is unique. No other significant democracy - not France, not the UK, not Germany....has anywhere in their constitution, the absolute protection of expression, that ours does.

I bring this up because all sorts of people, from within this forum, clear up to the MSM, appear to be pontificating around the "Charlie Hebdo" tragedy, from OUR constitutional perspective, not that of France specifically or the EU in general.

It's interesting. Our Constitution is absolute in terms of protecting actors like "Charlie Hebdo", yet American society doesn't accept their filth. France has the constitutional wherewithal to put the kibosh on said filth, but it choses not to.

clearly, whatever law France has on the books allows a charlie hebdo type of publication, even if it's NOT a duplicate of our bill of rights.

allowing islamists to destroy a law abiding publication simply because the content is unpopular, and the next thing you know ALL publications will be attacked by everyone with a fringe viewpoint.

 

[fairsheet]

clearly, whatever law France has on the books allows a charlie hebdo type of publication, even if it's NOT a duplicate of our bill of rights.

allowing islamists to destroy a law abiding publication simply because the content is unpopular, and the next thing you know ALL publications will be attacked by everyone with a fringe viewpoint.

Your first paragraph is absolutely false. There's NOTHING clear about French law as it relates to "Charlie Hebdo". That hints at a problem France needs to resolve for itself. Lacking any absolute standard and leaving this sort of question to the whims of judges, it's inevitable that there'll end up an imbalance in terms of who they extend "free speech" to.

 

[Charcat]

Your first paragraph is absolutely false. There's NOTHING clear about French law as it relates to "Charlie Hebdo". That hints at a problem France needs to resolve for itself. Lacking any absolute standard and leaving this sort of question to the whims of judges, it's inevitable that there'll end up an imbalance in terms of who they extend "free speech" to.

Kind of like abusing "free speech" in the US, such as yesterday's little demonstrations in Massachusetts that could have had disastrous results for many people. Such abuse may lead to losing some of our "rights." I'm not concerned about France--but what happens here concerns me greatly.

 

[fairsheet]

Kind of like abusing "free speech" in the US, such as yesterday's little demonstrations in Massachusetts that could have had disastrous results for many people. Such abuse may lead to losing some of our "rights." I'm not concerned about France--but what happens here concerns me greatly.

Your anecdote notwithstanding, I see it as a testament to we American people that for the most part, we see our 1st Amendment as a right AND a responsibility. "Charlie Hebdo's" obsession with men's behinds, sort of mirrors Rush Limbaugh's. Our American media has a "right" to publish such buffoonery, but it doesn't...because we Americans would refuse to buy their product.