@joodie said:
@CPound said:Ok, here's the deal on "secret police". We do indeed have freedom of speech and writing in the US. You just can't be stupid about it. Why on earth would you press the envelope by saying/publishing anti-government slogans during a time of international crisis and terrorism? Like the Dixie Chicks for example. What the !@#$ were they thinking? That was just moronic. You can say/write what you want, but c'mon, be smart and loyal to the country you live in. If you don't like it you can always leave. No one is keeping you here.
I think you'll find that a lot of european countries take a slightly different view of "freedom of speech". They tend to not tolerate racism, incitement to violence etc. but will allow most anybody to disagree with their government in public, using pretty much any language they like. The people in europe also tend to not get upset by a bare breast on national TV :-)
Europeans (sweeping generalisation) think that it's stupid to shut people up just because they have different opinions, and to let hate and violence spread through the country. And they like breasts.
Word. Or you have freedom of speech - and everything that comes with it, or you have some sort of mild censorship, like here in europe. I mean - in the US, I can't critisize the governments policies, but I can perfectly say that all Jews should be massacred, or that those horror's didn't happen in de 2nd WW... I don't know how fucked up your thinking must be when you say those last 2 are far less worse than the first one. If you can't critisize your government, does that mean it's perfect? Right... Also - there is no single law in the US that prohibits you from critisizing your government, but you can get convicted for it (I don't even wanna know on what grounds).
Here in Belgium, and Europe in general, I know I can't say certain things - which are clearly defined and which are things a normal sane person would not say anyway. That's why freedom of speech in the US is an illusion. If you say the wrong things, they'll sue you anyway, the hypocrisy...
And naked breasts - bring em on [:D] [:P]