Reply #75: Not as extreme as what you're advocating.

[NinetySix]

Quote:
"The Federalist Society should be banned and its members arrested. nt"

Imagine your reaction had you gone to Free Republic and read, quote:
"Greenpeace should be banned and its members arrested. nt"
or:
"Amnesty International should be banned and its members arrested. nt"
or:
"MoveOn should be banned and its members arrested. nt"
Now imagine if that proposed step were actually taken by the Government with regard to ANY political group. Would that be Liberty? Would that be democracy?

I think Don Siegelman would understand precisely what my point is. His political leanings and ideas were in conflict with Bush's orthodoxy, and the next thing he knew, an election had been stolen from him in the middle of the night, then he was under indictment, then he was serving time in a Federal penitentiary. What I'm talking about is the liberty to speak and advocate freely without fear of legal repercussions.

And where have I been? I've been living in Canada. Let me tell you a funny story. During a Federal election campaign a few years ago, I was watching the CBC one evening. CBC took one hour of programming time from 11 to midnight to show political ads. There were many 30-second and minute-long spots, all of which they aired for free, but several caught my eye. One was for the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada. One was for the Communist Party of Canada. And one was for the Canadian Maoist party. Let me ask you, if any of the analogous American political parties had offered ANY station or network in the US ANY amount of money to air their ads, do you think anyone would have consented to let those ads go out over the air? Perhaps, but certainly not without a very pointed disclaimer beforehand, so that the station could explicitly disavow any relationship with the party in question, other than a purely business relationship. The fact that the CBC not only made time during a political campaign to air all party ads, but allowed them all to air for free is indicative of a nation's and a society's commitment to freedom of speech.

Even at the height of McCarthyism, when directors and entertainers were being publicly blacklisted for holding leftist political beliefs, no group was banned and no one was arrested for being a Communist. What happened was bad enough, and I'm sure that some on the other side advocated what you have just explicitly advocated, but thank the stars above it never came to pass. McCarthyism didn't work to strengthen the United States, but only served to marginalize some citizens for the benefit of others' ideology. Let's never go back. No official Government sanction for some points of view and not others.

I'm not trying to make enemies, and I'm not calling you out, but freedom of speech must be tempered by a personal sense of responsibility, tolerance, and respect. Let us never attempt to marginalize anyone by officially banning them, but allow them to marginalize themselves in the court of public opinion through their own words.

I am a RADICAL believer in the freedom of speech. It is the most fundamental aspect of democracy, and one we seek to endanger at our own peril, as without it, democracy must wither and die. I don't care to prevent you from speaking your mind, but if I think you've stepped over the line, I'll take it upon myself to chastise you, citizen to citizen. It is not only every citizen's right, but every citizen's duty.