Has the right to dissent in this country vanished since 9/11?

[GePap]

Chris62:

The girl is protesting government action: The ones screaming are protesting the act of protesting government action.

You view that as being equal, one protesting the political acts of a current administration vs. protesting the political choices of an individual citizen as a citizen?

[JohnT]

Boris, is yelling "Make Love not War" while throwing rocks through the Deans window a "legitimate expression of disagreement" or an "aggressive way of trying to silence an opinion with which one disagrees"?

Just wondering.

[Chris 62]

Originally posted by GePap
Chris62:

The girl is protesting government action: The ones screaming are protesting the act of protesting government action.

There is a limit to first ammendment privallige?
A rule book as to whom you can and cannot protest against?
Do they PREVENT her from standing there, or touch her?
If the answer is no, then they have EVERY right to yell away, THAT is what free speech means.

You view that as being equal, one protesting the political acts of a current administration vs. protesting the political choices of an individual citizen as a citizen?

Free speech makes NO SUCH distinction.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Chris 62
Not at all, you seem to say SHE has rights and THEY don't.

Where did I say that? Read, for Christ's sake. As I said--twice now--they have the right to express themselves as they wish. That does not, however, make the manner in which they express themselves equal in quality.

Many find her actions FAR more offensive then any yelling done at her.

Who would find it more offensive for someone to make a silent protest than for someone to jeer at and tell someone to "get out" of the country? And why should I take their opinion, as much as they are allowed to express it, seriously?

Do you not see that they are allowed their rights also?
You can SAY whatever you like in this country Boris, not pick and chose the method.

For the FOURTH time now, everyone has the right to express themselves as they see fit, but that doesn't mean the manner in which one says something is necessesarily proper. All forms of expression are not equal, except in a legal sense. But that's not what I've been saying (once again).

Yes, spectacle.They just yell at her.
So are people yelling at here.

Again...there is a qualitative difference between ways of expressing things, no matter how equally protected they are.

If she protests, they have THE SAME RIGHT to protest her.

For the FIFTH time, I never said yada yada yada...

They view her protest THE EXACT SAME WAY.

And too bad, since protesting someone in a manner which calls to silence them (i.e. "get out!") is pretty contradictory to proclaiming values of free expression, now ain't it?

A total cop-out of a comment.
Anyone that doesn't protest the way YOU appove of needs mental heath.

No, I said anyone who gets infuriated over someone making a silent protest needs mental health. Getting infuriated by someone expressing their opinion peacefully is extreme behavior, warranting therapy.

What a stawman argument that is.

First, learn what "strawman" means. A strawman argument is claiming your opponent said something he didn't and then arguing against that point. A perfect example of that would be your continuous assertion that I somehow said the fans don't have a right to express themselves, which I explicitly have said was their right. That's a strawman.

You will notice, I don't agree with her, but i don't say that she needs a doctor.

I should hope not, since a silent protest is hardly indicative of excessive anger issues.

In other words, people can only protest in ways YOU approve of.

Let's see...for the SIXTH time...etc., etc., ad naseum.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by JohnT
Boris, is yelling "Make Love not War" while throwing rocks through the Deans window a "legitimate expression of disagreement" or an "aggressive way of trying to silence an opinion with which one disagrees"?

Just wondering.

Damaging property/endagering others is illegal and not a particularly legitimate manner of protest. It can be effective, though, I admit.

But the relevance is...?

[monkspider]

Chris- The views you espouse are an de facto shutdown of free speech, since you argue that dissidents who protest publicly are subject to whatever means of verbal assault people choose to attack them with, that essentially shuts down the ability to protest publicly. As I said earlier, what is the use of having the right to freedom of speech if you are too afraid to actually use it? You are placing a right to babarism over the right to free speech

[JohnT]

As I'm reading it, Boris, your point is that one should protest peacefully, with no fuss.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by JohnT
As I'm reading it, your point is that one should protest peacefully, with no fuss.

Absolutely peacefully. But one can protest peacefully and still make a fuss! I just don't like it when a protest says to the other side "shut up or get out."

[Dis]

to the original post.

we also have the right to be dissatisfied with her dissent. If she can't take the heat get out of the kitchen.

Or go into the kitchen where women should be. *dodges rotten fruit thrown at dissident*

[Shi Huangdi]

So people are yelling at her. That is their right. The right to dissent still exists in this coumtry, you just have to be willing to face the reactions of the people around you.

[Sava]

People have every right to tell her to "Get the hell out." This is America... you have the freedom to be an ignorant piece of crap.

[JohnT]

*throws first piece of rotten fruit that Dissident doesn't dodge*

[Sava]

* picks up rotten fruit and eats it in hope of getting a buzz!

[Dis]

the funny thing is she doesn't understand what is wrong with this statement.

"It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need and the military has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber."

and what's even funnier is posters don't understand what free speech is.

[JohnT]

"It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need and the military has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber."

It will also be a great day when she learns not to speak in tired, old cliche's and can develop her own thoughts.