Sunday, September 24, 2006

You can have your free speech as long as you stand in a place where no one can hear you

deseretnews.com | Taylorsville settles in animal rights suit:
"The suit was filed after the city and Mayor Russ Wall relegated UARC members to a city-created 'free speech zone' during the city's 'Taylorsville Dayzz' celebration last July. Activists said they were handing out pamphlets and talking to patrons about animal cruelty in the food industry when they were told by city officials they must stand in the 'free speech zone' near a parking lot and away from the events and crowd traffic."
And now Taylorsville has to dole out $15K for their strident desire that no one be upset at their interestingly spelled craptastic kitsch festival. Why didn't they just go for "Taylorzzville" too? That would violate all bounds of free speech, I should think.

4 comments:

  1. I hate the concept of the free speech zone, which, as all may recall, was also put into practice at the Olympics. Grrr. However, as the historian can tell you, the powers that be have been doing this for a long time. The socialists had to make their speeches in the red light district--that's where they could get a permit to speak. (Yes, they had to get a permit to speak.)

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  2. In some countries the "free speech zones" are internment camps. Be careful where it starts.

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  3. "Freedom of speech shall not be abridged" is a clause of the Constitution that presented a great deal of difficulty right from the start.

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  4. I always thought a "free speech zone" is a public toilet stall.

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