"You have free speech so I can be heard."

[Basileus Basileon]

As Americans, we're not sure we share values. We're sometimes even afraid to use the word values. We talk about teaching ethics in schools -- people say, "What ethics? Whose ethics? Maybe we can't." And they confuse that with teaching of religion. And we are afraid to reaffirm the basics upon which a lawful and a decent society are based. We're almost embarrassed by it.

We look upon authority too often and focus over and over again, for 30 or 40 or 50 years, as if there is something wrong with authority. We see only the oppressive side of authority. Maybe it comes out of our history and our background. What we don't see is that freedom is not a concept in which people can do anything they want, be anything they can be. Freedom is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do.

< Interruption by someone in the audience. >

You have free speech so I can be heard.

Rudy Giuliani, 1994

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A01E2D9173CF933A15750C0A962958260

This is why the Republicans like him, even though he's pro-choice. I think we overapply the term "fascist" at times, but I think the label fits Rudy fairly well.

[Vanje]

1. Free speech

means I have the freedom to shut you the fuck up!?

[tularetom]

2. Or put in more simple terms

It would be a lot easier if this were a dictatorship. As long as I'm the dictator.

[bluerum]

3. Rudy to voters: "Resistance is futile."

[Jackpine Radical]

4. All your freedom are belong to us.

You are pwned.

[liberalmuse]

5. Holy Christ.

Sounds like something a despot like Hitler or Stalin would say. This man is SCAAAAARY.

[1corona4u]

6. What a freak....

he's.......just.......scary.

[Basileus Basileon]

7. Pretty much, yeah.