Quote:
Originally posted by Gattigap
Why's it "cool?"
I enjoy chuckling at hypocrisy as much as the next guy, but I don't entirely follow the logic.
- From wsj.com: "The AP reports the letter "suggested American soldiers in Iraq respond to attacks on them by killing Muslims at nearby mosques." The plaintiffs in the suit are "fearful Tucson Muslims" who said they decided "to keep their children home from religious schools" because they were intimidated by the letter. The judge ruled that, in her words, "reasonable minds could differ in determining whether the publication of the letter rose to the level of extreme and outrageous conduct.""
Their conclusion: "But how can anyone who believes in free expression stand for anything other than laughing these plaintiffs out of court? It seems the champions of the Dixie Chicks, et al., are interested in defending offensive speech only when it is anti-American."
Uh, the letter was critizing US forces and alleged that they're retaliating by killing Muslims at nearby mosques. Sounds to me like ACLU et al should've actively supported the newspaper, but their reason for declining (whatever it was) doesn't sound like hypocrisy because the speech wasn't "anti-American."
|
FWIW, from personal experience I can tell you that the Arizona CLU can be remarkably slow to respond to pretty offensive situations, for whatever reason. Maybe they're all reptiles and get lethargic in the winter (hi Shapey!).
__________________
“It was fortunate that so few men acted according to moral principle, because it was so easy to get principles wrong, and a determined person acting on mistaken principles could really do some damage." - Larissa MacFarquhar
|
