Text 27090, 89 rader
Skriven 2007-02-09 17:42:00 av Jeff Binkley (1:226/600)
     Kommentar till en text av Alan Hess
Ärende: free speech
===================
Ignorance benefits the liars, cheaters and thieves.  With free speech 
comes responsibility.  This is a problem for liberals.


Jeff


AH>This is an editorial from today's Baltimore Sun.  I fully agree with
AH>it.  Free speech includes hateful and false speech.  Censorship
AH>benefits the haters and liars.

AH>***********

AH>http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bal-ed.holocaust08feb08,0,41
AH>34742.sto ry?coll=bal-pe-opinion

AH>From the Baltimore Sun
AH>No denial



AH>February 8, 2007

AH>An organization called the "Holocaust Foundation of Iran" has asked
AH>Austria, Germany and Poland to supply documentary evidence of the
AH>deaths of Jews during World War II. It's a provocative move, because
AH>the purpose of this foundation is to propagate the argument that the
AH>Holocaust never happened. And it's easy to see that when the three
AH>European countries decline to cooperate, as they surely will,
AH>Holocaust deniers in Iran and elsewhere will be quick to argue that
AH>they asked for proof of the genocide and none was forthcoming.

AH>The claim that 6 million Jews did not die at the hands of the Nazis
AH>is so utterly wrong that the people who make it can only be motivated
AH>by actual malice and a reckless disregard for the truth. It's a
AH>libel, in other words, at least as the term is defined in American
AH>law - except that you can't libel a people, or the dead, or a fact of
AH>history.

AH>Perhaps because it's so oblivious of the facts, Holocaust denial
AH>won't go away. It's infuriating, hurtful and nearly impervious to
AH>argument. The German government, which feels a particular obligation
AH>to combat it, has made it a crime, as have eight other European
AH>countries. Now, Germany, which holds the presidency of the European
AH>Union, wants to push through a law criminalizing Holocaust denial
AH>throughout the EU. And not just that, but also any statements that
AH>minimalize genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity in a way
AH>that would incite violence or hatred. The German argument is that the 
in
AH>tellectual underpinnings of xenophobia and racism must be prohibited,
AH>or the world will pay the price. Distorting the past, in this view,
AH>poses a threat to the future.

AH>It's an understandable, and even attractive, line of reasoning. But
AH>it's wrong.

AH>Yes, neo-Nazis are flourishing, especially in Eastern Europe. And
AH>yes, with the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran declaring the
AH>Holocaust to be a "fairy tale," it's obvious to Europeans who worry
AH>about their own Muslim populations that deniers are not simply cranks
AH>on the fringes of society. But curbing free speech is not the way to
AH>kill off an idea. It's a way to make something illicit seem
AH>appealing, and it's a way to make martyrs of your opponents, and it's
AH>a way to begin giving up on civil liberties in general.

AH>Consider the complications that have already arisen:

AH>? The Polish government wants the EU to go further and forbid the
AH>term "Polish death camp."

AH>? Some critics have asked whether the German proposal isn't really
AH>aimed at keeping Turkey out of the EU, because the Turks still insist
AH>that they didn't commit genocide against the Armenians back in 1915
AH>(and in fact they prosecute anyone who says there was a genocide).

AH>? Three years ago, the party that now controls Germany's government
AH>suggested that memorials to those killed by the Nazis and those
AH>killed by the Communists be given parity, until it was forced to
AH>retreat in the face of bitter denunciations from those who believe
AH>the Holocaust was unique.

AH>The past is a complicated place. Much of what people believe about it
AH>is false or slanted. But free speech is not what's wrong - free
AH>speech is the cure.

AH>Copyright + 2007, The Baltimore Sun | Get Sun home delivery

--- PCBoard (R) v15.3/M 10
 * Origin:  (1:226/600)