I think we have bashed this one. Eric (editor) are you writing a book on the subject? The intent of statement is worth 5 stars.

Its about time we relied on ourselves instead of some mythical figure that to date doesn't have a very good record. I agree with Mike (sorry Mike about the religious bit) that there is always another legal phrase to twist the truth. Unfortunately JB we do not live in a society that can just takes "...all men are created equal..." as our single law. When that day comes (never) we will also be above that phrase and all phrases of law will be obsolete. Its the ',,,to every case which satisfies their terms...' where we slip up.

You all amaze me - you are quite willing to quote the law but without due prudence as to the definition of words. I love it...

Anon, the statement is badly executed its like saying the good may do good deeds and the bad may do bad deeds. I can understand our administration doing it (as all have done in the past) but municipalities have a totally different agenda - they exert their authority beyond their station - not that any station should exert their will over the rights of others.

As we all do, some knowing and others unknowingly. It sounds more like your local municipality to me. Three stars as it goes without saying.

I think we have beaten this one to death... there is freeness of speech and then there is freeness of speech. And yes, the heavens are blue when there are no clouds in the sky.

It goes without saying... for free society read freedom

That had to be written for this blog. Trust Archer to bring politics into the discussion. Archer I think you meant Satirists - no Doug, the two were said for different reasons. GBS also said "Capitalism justified itself and was adopted as an economic principle on the express ground that it provides selfish motives for doing good, and that human beings will do nothing except for selfish motives." GBS really didn't care who you were. His comments on censorship are fun too.

Precisely, and that will never happen.

Archer and Anon you live in a fairy tale world where only the good live. Please tell me where it is and I'll join you. cal got it! Censorship is performed every minute of the day by the media, by mothers, fathers, lovers, corporations, CIA, FBI, the government, wall street, religion, and so on and so on - THAT IS REALITY - the world we live in.

So, it's OK in a speech to say 'I'm going to kill whoever' - I suppose then we should wait for it to happen and then society can have the person arrested - you guys make me laugh. Archer that is double talk. Anon you live in your cozy world dictating freedom of speech while innocent people are killed - Unless the law can protect society from the evil and inciting speeches there is no law and without law no freedom of speech. If Hitler in his speech said we must kill all Jews because they are an abomination, in your eyes this would be acceptable - well I'm sorry but we obviously live on different planets.

Capitalism is the hook and debt the reality.

Archer, please... America has the biggest socialized programs in the worlds nearly half a GDP goes on the biggest called the military machine - that in essence is a socialized program. We bail out the auto, insurance and banking industries they too are mostly socialized. America's biggest employer is the government so please get your facts straight. Soon there will be no jobs accept for government jobs. What's turned America socialized is unfettered capitalism.

Kay, conservative newspapers are " Spin" papers and magazines like The Nation and Vanity Fair and the British Guardian are the only worth while reading materials. The last thing Limbaugh does is piss me off if he did it would mean he said something intelligent.

The same with intolerance, indifference, and apathy. Unless... please see previous comment.

As long as your opinion is not confused with inciting violence and hatred. If you say 'in my opinion we should harm this group or that group because of race, color or sexual orientation" then this is wrong and should not be called an opinion - you are inciting action to harm another person and this should be prosecuted.

Are these rights documented in Law?

Mike, don't mince words - the American way (philosophy) is based on Capitalism.

Mike be alert to your self before all others - Communism and and unabated capitalism are bedfellows. Remember the Arms we paid for with dope - amazing we have such short memories. Americans were and still are brainwashed by the need to buy happiness, by the government, and by religion. We must have SUV's, a big house, WalMart, and unlimited credit. We don't need the Communist Manifesto to make us alert - we are already being taken over without armies and guns by the banks and corporate America - in actual fact the communist party could have learned many lessons from Capitalist America. I thought Obama would be different but alas he too has succumb to powers beyond the White House. Emperor Bush, who went to war on lies and invaded another sovereign state, and started the ball rolling with the bail-out plan, is just another Emperor in a long line of President's who have changed their title and usurped the power from the people. We will soon fall to the inevitable demise of the American Empire where food, utilities, taxe's, insurance, health care, mortgage payments, cars payments and credit card debt will be luxuries - where will we find the money to pay for just the bare essentials of life; we make/produce nothing; the stock market is built on sand; and, all it will take is one major storm to wash it all away. Oh yes, we should first look at our own history before turning to the pages of the Communist Party Manual. By trying to print our way out of debt we will make further debt. Germany tried this in the thirties and look what happened - will we suffer the same demise and use Illegal aliens, gays, atheists and other minority groups as an excuse for fascism - America has a long history of supporting right wing dictators so why not its very own...

Five stars for the second sentence minus two for the first.

Carlton you need say no more... The statement is stupid and not worth retort

WILL, very good... As was exhibited in China during the Olympics and again in Tibet during the recent uprising. You are only free if all people are free when you fall for the rhetoric of freedom its because you think you are free. The same applies to the press/media. The primary source of freedom is not without but within all else is just smoke and mirrors. The media and government likes you to believe that they provide this thing called freedom but in truth you are the power that makes it happen.

Yes, and the more they keep the sheeple in line and dumb the better it works. There are two kinds of intelligentsia, one that manipulates people and the other that sits quietly behind closed doors waiting...

You may be free to choose but how hollow a wish for those who are the living dead. Nothing that is absolute exists but in itself. SELF is the only absolute.

Time, whose tooth gnaws away at everything else, is powerless against truth. THH