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Newt Gingrich Says Free Speech May Be Forfeit

Posted by kdawson on from the cain't-let-the-terrists-use-the-internets dept.

At a dinner honoring those who stand up for freedom of speech, former House speaker Newt Gingrich issued his opinion that the idea of free speech in the U.S. needs to be re-examined in the interest of fighting terrorism. Gingrich said a "different set of rules" may be needed to reduce terrorists' ability to use the Internet and free speech to recruit and get out their message. The article has few details of what Gingrich actually said beyond the summary above, and no analysis pointing out how utterly clueless the suggestion is given the Internet's nature and trans-national reach.

4 of 894 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Their America? by avronius · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It's uncanny how recent law changes and the subsequent cries for more control and less freedom in the US mimic the changes that take place in "Animal Farm"...

    It appears that Newt is just another pig, and the American constituency are the remainder of the barnyard animals. You need to find some mules with voices to nip this in the bud before it goes any further.

  2. Relevant Quote by MrCopilot · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Democracy... while it lasts is more bloody than either aristocracy or monarchy. Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There is never a democracy that did not commit suicide.
    John Adams

    I nominate Newt as democracy's first victim.

    --
    OSGGFG - Open Source Gamers Guide to Free Games
  3. Re:Their America? by gowen · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Shutting down the government showed people some things-- the biggest was that much of the government is superfluous, and that having a good amount of the government not working didn't effect much.
    Actually, that's an insanely revisionist view. The reason shutting down the government was an unmitigated disaster for the Republicans (and killed the "Contract With^H^H^H^HOn America" stone dead, was that people did miss it.

    They missed libraries, and museums, and all the tiny little things. If it was such a success, why did the Republicans back down so quickly, and how come Clinton was re-elected (the very thing it was designed to prevent?)
    --
    Athletic Scholarships to universities make as much sense as academic scholarships to sports teams.
  4. Re:Their America? by coaxial · · Score: 3, Interesting

    No. It pissed everyone off because:

    1. It was done out of spite and stubornness. Things don't get that bad without a complete failure of compromise and statemenship.
    2. It should people just how much they depended on the government.

    People get pissed when things don't work. Not when everything is going fine. And in the end, Gingrich's stunt backfired. His, and the rest of GOP's, popular support fell like a rock, and he ended up getting nothing more than what was originally offered. It was a spectacular failure, and led to him being him being voted in several polls "the most hated man in politics."