Free speech culture

       In order to shine a light on a certain brand of hypocrisy; I will be writing a paragraph from the perspective of an outraged liberal.  I have read several such articles explaining to all the "Sheeple" that "American Gun Culture" is the reason why we still have gun rights, which should, due to the actions of a few be taken away.  (By the way, if you ever want people to immediately tune you out, use the word "Sheeple")  Instead of using the term "Gun-Culture" however, I will be using the term "Free Speech Culture.  (the only differences will be a lack of spelling errors, and a lack of egregious grammatical errors).  I hope that this will show just how flimsy, and frankly how Anti-American, those arguments are.

       Well, here we go again.  Another day another incident of someone causing pain and suffering because the Free Speech Culture wont allow the government to protect us by taking away these idiot's right to disagree.  As long as people have the right to say whatever they want, whenever they want, this will keep happening.  Certain places are not even safe anymore because these sociopaths get to spread their idiocy wherever they choose.  How many lives have to be lost, just because someone wants their individual freedom preserved.  How many children need be injured or die, just because a selfish few, feel a need to speak freely.  Distracting billboards, political speech on the radio.  I can't even concentrate on driving!  People protesting gets in the way of emergency vehicles and causes economic disruption!  By disagreeing with necessary policy choices, children won't have access to free services.  By speaking out against these things, children die.  Think of the children.  And how dare they impose this disease of theirs on the rest of us.  I'm not saying that these people can't practice their free speech in appropriate places, like designated lounges, but they should not be allowed to shove their beliefs in our faces.  I should not have to feel threatened by their disagreement.  When can we just ignore this Free speech culture and do what is best for society?  We should really just round up all the transmitters and printing presses and take them away so no one would have them.  Free speech is not a guaranteed right when children get hurt.  

       Now I hope I don't need to point out that the above paragraph is farcical in nature.  But this is how the arguments against the second amendment go.  It cannot be said enough: My rights should never be curtailed due to someone else's actions.  That isn't gun culture.  That is one of the founding principals of our country.  To say that my firearms pose a threat to someone, because an illegally obtained pistol in Chicago was used in a crime, is erroneous thinking.  There is no gun culture in America.  We have a culture of being at liberty.  We have a culture that allows divergent viewpoints to peacefully coexist.  When my rights are eroded because someone else committed a crime, we have a fundamental violation of civil liberties.  

To put things another way, when someone is arrested the 15th time for drunk driving, or road rage, no one hesitates to blame the local DA for not keeping them in prison.  No one blames the car, or the road, or sues GM; no matter how many people this person killed.  They blame the person.  To do otherwise is ridiculous.  Why then, do we blame an inert piece of machinery when there is a shooting.

Bonus, in case you missed it: Bloomberg admits his racism, and that the problem is the shooter, not the gun.  Of course he is asking the press not to distribute the video of him saying it.  (Not that he controls a significant potion of the press)  Bloomberg's Hypocrisy

No requirement of truth

       A recent post hijacking got me thinking.  The "two parties" have done a perfect job of brainwashing America.  Ask someone to define a typical Republican and they would list them as being "Rich, white guys" at best.  Ask for the typical Democrat and you might hear talk of being "socialist".  Why do we believe this?

      "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public." -H.L. Mencken-
     
        That's pretty much it isn't it?  We believe what we are being sold.  We see the advertisements and disregard the ones we don't agree with.  We see the ones we agree with and add those "facts" to our list of talking points.  Here is a fact for you.  Political speech has no requirement for truth.  That's right.  There is no such thing as false advertising, bait and switch, or breach of contract associated with political advertising.
       You may have heard the radio spots where one candidate (Beaubien) is claiming the other (McSweeney)  made comments about denying a woman's right to an abortion, (He did, but not in that context) then launches, without segue-way, into a quote, made by someone else, that is very inflammatory   The ad then states that McSweeney, being of the same party, clearly feels the same way.  If this were advertising it would be brought to court over this flagrant misstatement.  But political speech is exempted from the requirement of truth.
       McSweeny, of course, ran an ad defending himself and saying that Beaubien was just trying to cover up having voted for a tax increase.  I still don't see what one has to do with the other, and they both are lying.  Again, there is no requirement not to.
        See the idea is that the opposing party will just run an ad countering the claims of the first.  A great solution if there are only two, well-backed and very well-connected, parties.  Slander a green party, libertarian, or other "third party" candidate and they will just have to take it.  They don't have the money to run a counter ad.  That is a bit imbalanced isn't it?  If they were selling a product they would be brought to court over price-fixing, market-fixing, or collusion.
       So the "two parties" have a lock on the system, no requirement for truth, and a set of stereotypes they have sold the American people on, to such a degree that we automatically assume Romney to be an elitist, owned by big business, and Obama a gun-hating socialist.  Their voting records actually show those roles to be reversed.
       I would ask you to make sure you go vote your conscience, but you really can't.  Unless your candidate is the honest one, and clearly, the other guy is lying.  Sure, we'll go with that.