← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Kevin_O'Keeffe
Thread ID: 16370 | Posts: 5 | Started: 2005-01-20
2005-01-20 22:16 | User Profile
[url]http://www.local6.com/news/4090551/detail.html[/url]
The above link takes you to a WKMG-TV (in Orlando, Florida) news story about an apparently jovial gadfly and no doubt patriotic curmudgeon in Hialeah, Florida. This man has chosen to decorate the exterior of his home with SIX large, painted swastikas, and the words "Die Bush." While not necessarily the best tactic per se, its difficult to argue with the folksy wisdom innate to such a display.
In any event, the article includes one of those on-line surveys which reads as follows: "Should swastikas and hate messages be allowed under freedom of speech, or should such signs be prevented?" The only two choices are "They should be allowed," and "They should be stopped." As of approximately 2:10 pm Pacific time, "Allowed"/free speech was leading "Stopped"/fascism by a ratio of 11,262 to 8,153, i.e. 58% of participants support the First Amendment, while 42% oppose it. Let's see if we can't do a little better than that by participating in this on-line survey. It will take you probably less than 10 seconds to do, so please just go and do it. Thanks.
2005-01-20 23:29 | User Profile
Kevin, great story, especially coming from Hialeah, which is a huge working class Cuban neighborhood. I was recently visiting my Cuban/Spaniard in-laws in Miami and although Cubans are known to be staunchly Republican, I was happy to see that many of the Cubans are anti-Bush and anti-War.
In any case the voting results are quite positive and I took my time to vote for free speech (of course) and hope more people do as that Cuban did in Miami and speak out!
2005-01-21 08:07 | User Profile
I just voted (for free speech, of course). The current tally is 58% to 42% in favor of allowing swastikas, etc.
While it's good that the right side is winning, it would be nice if the poll results were a lot more lopsided. I'm rather disturbed that so many people who presumably consider themselves "Americans" are in favor of scrapping the First Amendment.
2005-01-21 14:25 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Angler]I just voted (for free speech, of course). The current tally is 58% to 42% in favor of allowing swastikas, etc.
While it's good that the right side is winning, it would be nice if the poll results were a lot more lopsided. I'm rather disturbed that so many people who presumably consider themselves "Americans" are in favor of scrapping the First Amendment.[/QUOTE]
An ethnic breakdown of the respondents would be interesting.
2005-01-22 00:44 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Angler]I just voted (for free speech, of course). The current tally is 58% to 42% in favor of allowing swastikas, etc.
While it's good that the right side is winning, it would be nice if the poll results were a lot more lopsided. I'm rather disturbed that so many people who presumably consider themselves "Americans" are in favor of scrapping the First Amendment.[/QUOTE]
This means you vote in favor of the Holocaust, don't you see.
Personally I'm a little torn on this, since I wouldn't mind a precedent for locking up jews like Teitelbaum when they open their yaps. Let's face it, a "jewish exception" to the First would have saved us a lot of trouble.