RE: An Actual Knock at the Door?

I agree with you entirely about free speech as outlined in your last paragraph. I should also refine my statement, that I may not give a rat's ass what the rest of the world thinks, but it is important to know what they are thinking, (if that makes any kind of sense) as you said.

The Google issue seems to be part of a larger trend, and that is to attempt to obfuscate, drown out, or silence views and opinions that you don't agree with. It has been happening at college campuses, were students will disrupt an invited speaker, it happens at protests- the Tookie Williams vigil springs to mind, where an older man with a Christian sign was shoved away by a group of pro-Tookie activists who loudly chanted "racist, sexist, anti-gay: right-wing bigot go away!" It happened in Europe over the Dreaded Cartoons of Blasphemy- which brings me another example: one of the excuses used by Muslim groups to justify their attempts to stifle free speech was that Europe didn't have it to begin with because people weren't "allowed" to "question" the Holocaust. When I first heard this idiotic reasoning, I though "that's because the Holocaust actually happened- what's to 'question?'" but then I realized that these idiots had a point- though not in the way they meant. There is a reason free speech must include the freedom to say and espouse ideas that are reprehensible, idiotic, and vile- it is so that such ideas can be discussed, dissected, eviscerated, and disprove out in the light of day.

Of course, some folks like to prevent the other side from being heard because they are afraid to debate the issues like reasonable people- and perhaps lose.

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