The Venezuelan socialist regime has just sentenced a 65-year-old doctor, Marggie Orozco, to 30 years in prison for criticizing the regime of socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro in a WhatsApp voice note in 2024. Orozco was reportedly found guilty of “treason to the fatherland, incitement to hatred, and conspiracy” in complaining about the regime’s distribution of the often hard-to-find domestic gas cylinders in her community. She has already suffered two heart attacks in the last two years, including one while in prison.
Some on the left, including members of the Chicago Teachers’ Union, have praised Venezuela despite being a brutal authoritarian regime.
This conviction was notably under the regime’s “anti-hate speech” law for those spreading “hateful content.”
As many in the West denounce this conviction, it is important to note that Western countries use the same ill-defined laws to punish citizens in their own countries for “inciting hatred” or spreading dangerous disinformation. In the United Kingdom, a person was convicted for having “toxic ideologies.” A woman in the UK was arrested for silently praying near an abortion clinic.
Canada has used the same rationales as Russia for punishing its citizens for political views.
The difference appears not to be the limits on free speech but who is yielding these powers. It is like arguing that your country may have the same authoritarian laws, but it is a benign authoritarianism.
If the Orozco case disgusts you, you should also be disgusted by Western countries and the European Union wielding the same powers.
…which is precisely why we should expand asylum efforts, not curtail them.
Anon 12:08pm – The United States is already FULL of criminal dependent parasites, and is in the process of deporting as many of them as possible. The democrat party already flooded our Republic with tens of MILLIONS of illegal-alien unskilled dependent democrat-voters.
LOL
Asylum is NOT for economic reasons. Kick their azzes out and confiscate their assets. Help pay down the debt.
Maduro,
Maduro,
Maduro, he take me freedom and ruin Venezuela
“ As many in the West denounce this conviction, it is important to note that Western countries use the same ill-defined laws to punish citizens in their own countries for “inciting hatred” or spreading dangerous disinformation. ”
Professor Turley left out the U.S. We do this too. Trump is a big fan of authoritarianism. Remember his love letters to Kim Jung Un? What about Victor Orban? Or his most recent guest, the Saudi King. All of them have been anti-free speech and have punished those who have criticized their own government.
Trump has punished those who have simply co-written op-eds or organized protests and exercised free speech. He’s demanded the revocation of broadcast liscenses because he did not like their crtiticism. Turley remained suspiciously quiet about those glaring anti-free speech actions from our own government.
It’s easy to criticize others when Turley ignores our own similat problems.
X, name one individual that has been sentenced to prison for criticizing Trump. If what you say is true you yourself would be cowering under the bed waiting for a knock on the door.
It’s not about prison sentencing. It’s punishing those who are critical, voicing their opposition.
Ozturk and Khalil were arrested for daring to criticize Israel. Because of their speech. Turley remained silent. Trump has made it clear he would prefer to silence his critics by threatening them with investigations and deportations.
Not true.
And participating in demonstration that threaten jewish students while not being permanent residents of the US. And their maximum punishment would have been deportation to their country, when Im sure they would not be allowed to protest against their government (protesting against the Jews would be ok)
You keep using vague words to hide the facts.
Sending people home is not punishment,
Dr. Orocozo is going to jail for the rest of her life for Criticisinz Maduro.
Are you headed to jail for the rest of your life for criticizing Trump ?
What you claim to be the same is radically different.
No one has lost anything that was theirs by right for criticizing Trump.
While wrong think by US citizens has resulted in actual censorship by the FBI and government.
The examples of government conduct similar to Madoru – though still less egregious are entirely by democrats – not Trump.
The US will not become a fascist or authoritarian country if every current immigrant legal or otherwise was thrown out.
It does becom more fascist and authoritarian as democrats in govenrment take actual rights from citizens.
“Turley ignores our own similat [sic] problems.” Um… where to begin. You do realize the article is about a Venezuelan doctor. Right?
X, that’s why the BBC apologized for doctoring the tape. That’s why ABC settled Trumps lawsuit against them. ABC settles with Trump for $15 million. ABC knew that they would be exposed as the charlatans they are if it went to court. https://www.npr.org/2024/12/16/nx-s1-5230274/abc-settles-with-trump-for-15-million-now-he-wants-to-sue-other-news-outlets
I know X. The facts suck for the TDS children.
“X” – The volume of “stupid” in your TDS psycho-babble is over the allowable limit.
I for one would fully support a US foreign policy as offered by Washington in his farewell address.
But that is NOT what we have.
The US maintains relations with nations accross the world.
Trump is not the first president – not even a rarity among presidents flattering allies and enemies that the US wants something from.
You can attack that practice and demand the US stick to the principles of liberty in dealings with foreign leaders,
But that is not what you do.
You pretend that Trump is unique. Which is false.
““ As many in the West denounce this conviction, it is important to note that Western countries use the same ill-defined laws to punish citizens in their own countries for “inciting hatred” or spreading dangerous disinformation. ”We have plenty of evidence that democrats used the power of govenrment to punish wrong think and wrong speech of citizens. But you have none regarding Trump.
“Trump is a big fan of authoritarianism.”
No he si a big fan of flattery as a negotiating tool. As have been most US presidents and most US foreign policy since washington despite Washingtons warnings.
“Remember his love letters to Kim Jung Un? What about Victor Orban? Or his most recent guest, the Saudi King. All of them have been anti-free speech and have punished those who have criticized their own government.”
All of this is called diplomacy.
Again we can debate the merits of Geos Washingtons model vs., what all other US presidents have adopted.
But you simply seek to malign Trump for what the US govenrment has done for its entire existance.
“Trump has punished those who have simply co-written op-eds or organized protests and exercised free speech.”
Since when is being sent home punishment ?
“He’s demanded the revocation of broadcast liscenses”
No he said someone should look into them. Not the same.
Democrats have actually revoked Sinclair broadcast licenses.
Do you have an example where anyone has lost somthing that was actually a right because of criticism of Trump ?
At 10:18 Anonymous says that no common criminal on the street would look you in the eye and tell you that he has not done the crime. The prisons are full of prisoners who claim they are innocent in order to have their sentences reduced. The juries saw otherwise. As usual when she can’t refute an argument she goes to her old standby “oh yah, well you’re just a poo poo head. Jung explained the symptoms of the eternal child. One symptom he described was holding onto a belief even when the facts are made clear. The desire to win in every circumstance is another symptom to defend the child from a world that she is convinced is against her. The result is just a one liner calling anyone who disagrees with her a poo poo head. And so day after day the child remains the eternal child.
Well, I imagine that mamdani is taking notes on how to suppress the soon to be rising tide of protests against his regime. Why is it that certain humans have such a proclivity to buy into utopian dreams that are based on real world, real time solutions. If you want Utopia, then join a religious cult that promises eternal bliss since that is, most probably, the only way to achieve that state.
When governments of men attempt such a task it always ends in tyranny and base political power against those who see through the scheme.
We had better be on our toes at this point in America because the promisers of utopia are on full gallop towards domination of this nation. My only hope is the rising rebellion in Europe (perhaps too late at thus point) to remove both of the odious components of tyranny (progressive communism and/or an islamic world-wide caliphate). We should take heed of the rising awareness among original Europeans to the vast threats they have willingly unleashed upon their nations and cultures and support that process here that has begun with the MAGA movement.
The “promisers”? I’m definitely gonna be on the lookout now. Gonna punch those “”promisers” in the nose as soon as I find them.
And tell them whisicalmama sent me. Layoff the juice in the mornings, it affects your convoluted prose.
You just can’t stand it when someone calls you on your “Podsnappery”. Perhaps you should be taking some sort of tisant to calm your nerves over the growing influence of conservatives. And sorry if my comments confuse you, perhaps a remedial english course would help.
Really, I do not know why we are wasting time with Venezuela. If you really want to end the communist regime there and its budding tentacles throughout South and Central America, you cut off the head of the snake: Cuba. Otherwise, all we are doing is making our military industrial complex rich.
Wasting that time is about eradicating drug cartels in south and central America.
Just like any common criminal on the street they will look you right in the eye and tell you they are not doing it. The Democrats have always praised socialist governments until their atrocities become known to the world then they just say never mind. The communist just elected in New York City got the money to run his campaign from Democrats who will claim to be moderates right to your face. The Washington Post recently published an opinion piece saying how bad the newly elected mayors policies are. The only reason that the Post did so is because he stated out loud what they all speak of amongst themselves but want to hide from all us miserable peons. Over the top? We should never forget that they wanted to form a new well funded department with plenty of teeth to stop your disinformation. They’re the same as Maduro with shinier shoes and more expensive suits. Are you naive enough to believe that if Biden was re-elected that they wouldn’t have carried on with their plan? Don’t go along and we’ll bankrupt you and if that doesn’t shut you up you’ll be sleeping on a concrete floor. Obama ran as a moderate. Did he govern as a moderate? Deceit is a common denominator in a plan for a one world order.
First off, no common criminal on the street will ever look you in eye and tell you they are not doing it. What a truly stupid intro to a stupid rant.
Hey pal, think it through a couple more times and dump it your recycle bin.
Yesterday documents were released showing that Biden’s Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray concealed not only details that the attempted assassin of Trump was a violent raging leftist, another violent leftist murderer with that signature Democrat love affair with Tranny Furries and related online Tranny Furry porn.
But they went further to protect the Biden administration and reelection campaign by perjuring themselves to Congress by stating that the would be assassin and murderer had no online presence and thus no evidence of what kind of motivation drove him to that assassination attempt.
So when freedom depends on the right of voters to know, why do we get articles telling us that a communist dictator suppresses information by criminalizing speech (there’s a first!) – but not a word on how the Biden administration yet again suppressed Americans’ right to know regarding a would be assassin who nearly succeeded in murdering Trump?
Not worth a column because they didn’t actually arrest and jail people to hide from Americans this was a far left violent sexual deviant with a years long presence on social media of making violent threats against Trump, and the FBI was supposedly clueless about it?
No interest piqued that would result in a column? Despite over a year since, with Trump in office now for eleven months, the FBI still will NOT respond to Senator Ron Johnson’s committee demanding documents and answers to the questions that have been raised?
You took the wrong turn mister, you’re on the wrong blog. The subject is Venezuela.
Drawing parallels between a foreign nation about which I mostly don’t care and the US helps make the comment section more relevant and interesting.
IIRC it was the democrats who went crazy for censorship cost people their livelihoods and voices, and wanted to put noncompliant people in camps.
The Trump administration’s recent blathering about shutting down “antisemitic” (anti-Israel) speech is equally troubling but is a symptom of a different underlying pathology.
Parallels? Its a black hole OF.
Same thing here in the U.S.of.A:
Those guilty of “treason to the fatherland, incitement to hatred, and conspiracy”
THE LIST
Adam Schiff | Alexander Downer | Alexander Vindman | Alvin Bragg
Andrew McCabe | Andrew Weissmann | Andrew Whitney | Azra Turk
Barack Obama | Bill Clinton | Bill Priestap | Bill Taylor
Bruce Ohr | Charles H. Dolan | Christopher Steele | Christopher Wray
Cody Shear | Dana Remus | Daniel Goldman | Don Berlin
Donna Brazile | E.W. Priestap | Eirc Holder | Emmet Sullivan
Eric Ciaramella | Eugene Vindman | Evelyn Farkas | Fani Willis
Fiona Hill | Gen. Mark Milley | George Soros | Gina Haspel
Glenn Simpson | Gov. Janet Mills | Hillary Clinton | Huma Abedin
Hunter Biden | Igor Danchenko | Jake Sullivan | James Baker
James Clapper | James Comey | James E. Boasberg | Jeff Sessions
Jerry Nadler | Joe Biden | John Bolton | John Brennan
John Kerry | John McCabe | John Podesta | Joseph Mifsud
Juan Merchan et.al. | Judge Arthur Engoron | Kathy Ruemmler | Kevin Clinesmith
Kurt Campbell | L. Jean Camp | Letitia James | Lisa O. Monaco
Lisa Page | Lois Lerner | Loretta Lynch | Marc Elias
Matthew Colangelo | Merrick Garland | Michael Cohen | Michael Kortan
Michael Sussmann | Mike Pompeo | Nancy Pelosi | Nellie Ohr
Paul Vixie | Perkins Coie et.al. | Peter Fritsch | Peter J. Kadzic
Peter Strzok | Richard Schiff | Robby Mook | Robert Muller
Rod Rosenstein | Rodney Joffe | Ron Klain | Sally Yates
Samantha Power | Sir Richard Dearlove | Stefan Halper | Stephen Laycock
Stormy Daniels | Strobe Talbot | Susan E. Rice | The Mueller-Team
Timothy Thibault | Tom Rice | Valerie Jarrett | Victoria Nuland
ABC | BBC | CBS | CNN
FOX | MSNBC | NBC | NPR
PBS | New York Times | Washington Post | …
… | … | … | …
If I didn’t know better, I’d say this commenter has a new type of derangement syndrome.
^ Yeah, but they got Style! ^
Too bad that Rotund Rosie doesn’t live in Venezuela !
Presumably everyone who isn’t a Democrat agrees that free speech isn’t just an academic intellectual desire. Both the writers of the Bill of Rights and their great grandfathers in England that put together the English Bill Of Rights realized that everyday people could never be next to where government sat and acted, with sufficient free time to keep an eye on the workings of their elected governments. They expected that numbers of individual watchmen, paid or concerned citizen, would spread the news throughout the citizenry.
The primary idea was that free speech would prevent elected governments from being able to operate in secrecy, concealing what they believed the voters would disagree with and/or put a stop to. An ignorant and unknowing voter class is a compliant voter class. Compliance without needing force.
Elected governments would not censor expressions of free speech if that speech increased their popularity and garnered them even more votes. When elected governments start censoring or penalizing expressions of free speech as communists like Maduro and Chavez before him, the obvious reason is that speech is telling the voting citizenry what their government is doing that is wrong, and by doing that threatening their votes that get them elected to power.
In many ways, how much free speech you have to complain, criticize elected government and public officials, etc. is a measuring stick of how much freedom your government will allow you to have, no matter what you have fro constitutional documents.
We haven’t gotten to the point where the communist dictatorship of Venezuela is today, but we have just gone through four years of Biden using the FBI and DoJ as his and the DNC’s personal STASI – farming out censorship to various forms of news and social media via implanting FBI and other government agents within the decision making in those platforms.
We really aren’t all that far behind.
And many who style themselves as devout defenders of free speech are more than happy to turn a blind eye to government and judicial power using various means to suppress free speech in order to hide their corruption and criminality from the voting citizenry.
Biden’s handlers and California lawmakers did similarly as dictator Nicolas Maduro with physicians who dissented with the NIH / CDC COVID narrative. Medical careers were ruined, fortunes lost, reputations destroyed, many lost their livelihood which is as bad as prison.
We should be vigilant and never forget that Biden’s handlers (e.g. Barack Obama) brought us to the precipice of Venezuela’s current state. Francis Collins and Anthony Fauci should be charged with crimes against humanity despite Joseph Biden’s autopen pardons
What a heap of smelly nonsense. This guys thinks he’s an intellectual. Coulda fooled us.
Estovir,
Good point. I think the sadder part is there are some who would willingly do it again if given the chance. Unless people are dropping dead in the streets in masses, the rest of us will not be so easy to fall for their hysteria.
Leftwing fascists are the same everywhere. There is no difference in their authoritarian mentality. None.
There is a line at the end of the movie War Games where the computer program says “The only way to win is not to play”. That’s a good mindset against a government diddling with the indispensable right it is forbidden to do.
Professor Turley states that these laws aren’t unique to Venezuela as there are western countries doing the same thing. What the good Professor doesn’t state is that it is ALWAYS LIBERAL governments in countries like Canada, Britain, Ireland and Germany that promulgate these laws.
I suppose Russia is a liberal government too eh? Retired judge huh?
OOH, look at me, I found a country that doesn’t fit the usual liberal paradigm. Any comment on liberal “democracies” like England, Canada, Ireland, Australia and our own Democrat party censoring opposing viewpoints?
Come on pal, answer the question, do liberal parties enforce censorship or not? Do liberals on campus do the same? Why not actually answer a question instead of defending the indefensible day after day after day after day after day.
Will you look at that, he’s throwing a tantrum? Yeah anon found one alright, that embarrassed you obviously. Yeah, you missed it big time. So much for credibility.
Defending the indefensible? That makes no sense. Retire lawyer huh? Fooled us.
HullBobby,
Well said. Those of us with a degree of common sense would know pointing out countries, like Russia, fall into “Yeah, no kidding Sherlock.” with a massive dose of sarcasm and eyeroll.
Good point about those liberals on college campuses, exercising their freedom of speech rights while demanding the suppression or censorship of others right to freedom of speech.
I love it when I see the meeting of two deranged minds – delusional and delirious. Sorta like a watching a sequel of dumb and dumber.
BTW, we can name another 36 non – “LIBERAL governments ” who don’t abide by puck heads wildly ignorant comment about free speech suppression.
Thanks Upstate! Notice how the juvenile never answers the question. He’s just a contrarian oddball who lives to argue insane positions because he thinks he could be a lawyer but he is lacking intelligence, impetus, energy, education and fortitude.
Attention folks, the “adult in the room” just entered the room. And that’s from a adult who sez he’s a retired supreme court justice.
I can’t wait to grow up so I can be like them, sit on this blog 24 hrs. a day and pretend to an intellectual.
HullBobby,
I would add, ethics and morality.`
One would think after WWII that attacks on citizens engaging in free speech wouldn’t be tolerated anywhere in the world. Now time and time again politicians here and abroad eager to maintain power for their personal gain rabidly attack citizens who disagree with them. They go as far to boldly advise members in the military and security to disregard “unlawful orders” of our President but don’t define what they consider “unlawful orders”. They never mention the repercussions that a member of the military would face for following the advice of a politician to disregard orders which could easily be interpreted as mutinous acts. Each day democrat politicians seem to fuel more rage and unrest.
Excuse me, free speech as you understand it as an American, does not exist in Venezuela or, for that matter, any where else on this planet. Ergo, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Your comment is complete gobbledegook.
Oh G*D, it’s already up and replying stupidly.
Got a big hard on for anon huh?
“replying stupidly”? For a retired lawyer (so he claims folks) you have the writing skill level of a 5 y/o.
Oh G*D, it’s already up and replying stupidly.
the absence of virtue and principles in Americans today is far greater than most folks realize. that Peter Hill / Svelaz / Wally / Gigi / George / elvis bug et al spends all of his waking moments patrolling the comment boxes to heckle others is a window into what loneliness and darkness look like. pray for him. and of course ignore his comments. When you lie down with dogs you get fleas
Are you stoopid or sumptin? Yet here you again, as every morning, attacking commenters for being aholes. Get a mirror.
Estovir,
Great comment!
When talking about lying down with dogs, upstate farmer suddenly pops up.
HB
Give him some credit, he is an expert in gobbling the goop after all.
Oh oh another pottymouther. Funny how hullbobby attracts such anons. Maybe ole hullbobby reeks of …
Hmmmm you love it, admit it fat boy! It’s you and your chit that attracts the flies…
Agreed Margot!
Kind of brings a little retrospective clarity as to the deaths of 58,150 Americans in a little policing action against the spread of Communism.
As Reagan said, it’s the totalitarian tyranny stupid…it’s a cancer.
Try 58,220. The number of American military personnel who died in the Vietnam War is consistently reported as 58,220.
And Reagan never said that. Margot’s comment sure does attract a lot of morons. Call out to hullbobby.
Remember it was the dems who put us in Nam.
Hey it’s dustoff the aka Joe “Collage”. How’s those remedial English courses? Tough huh?
Dems huh? I guess what Republican POTUS Eisenhower did in the 50’s by sending US troops into Vietnam had nothing to do with the “Vietnam War”?
You sure you got a “collage” degree? Add US History to your remedial courses please.
You are a moron. Eisenhower refused US support to the French in 1954 as they were being over run at Din Bien Phu. Kennedy sent advisors and Peace Corps members to SE Asia. He was against sending troops, once they killed him Lyndon Johnson went full throttle with the Gulf of Tonkin alleged attacks. Get your lies straight nozzle.
“Eisenhower refused US support to the French in 1954 as they were being over run at Din Bien Phu”
I was in 7th grade in 1961 when I did a Civics report based on a Life magazine article about military advisors that Eisenhower had deployed to Laos in 1958. So, the history of (arguably unjustified) involvement in that theater is not quite as straightforward as you seem to think it is.
Gee, I didn’t realize Laos was in Vietnam Mr. History. You do know that is a separate country as is Cambodia and Thailand.
There’s a huge difference in sending military advisors into a foreign country at their request than sending in troops to fight.
It’s pretty straightforward numbnuts.
Eisenhower supported the French in Vietnam Nam. Air America, the CIA Air Force, supplied the French forces in Dien Bien Phu until it fell. As a curious teen ager I followed the siege of DBP on the paper daily. Read Bernard Fall book “Street Without Joy” to educate yourself specially Chapter Three “The Milk Run” where you will encounter the ex WWIi pilots that flew for Air America one of them Allen Pope shot down in Indonesia in 1958 supporting the rebels attempting to overthrow Sukarno and later exchanged for 10 Lockheed planes by JFK.
He was also the president that increased the military presence by establishing in 1962 the Military Assistance Command Vietnam in 1962. After the fiasco of the Bay of Pigs he turned his attention to Vietnam, even approving the overthrow and assassination of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem. The story he was against sending troops to Vietnam is just part of the fictitious narrative that followed his death.
Eisenhower declined support to France’s request for troops and equipment in 1954 as Dien Bien Phu was in dire danger of being overrun. The request included troops, equipment and nuclear weapons to quell the Viet Minh. He declined due to the fact that no other Nation would join the efforts. Kennedy was aghast at the assassination coup of Diem and his brother, he actually stated that given Ho’s struggle to rid itself of the French colonial yoke, America would have supported him. It was Ho’s letter to Truman around 1946 that went un answered that led Ho to the communists for support of unification of their country. This followed the end of WW2, when Vietnam gained independence with France still trying to reclaim dominance. A fight described as a tiger and an elephant, where the tiger would attack the elephant by night tearing huge chunks of flesh each attack to slowly bleed the elephant to death.
The CIA and SOG were actively in country early 60’s, that is called covert operations. Sterile operations that are not tied to the official government.
Of course he would deny troops and nuclear weapons but the support was there and the CIA was there not in 1960s but from the beginning supporting the French as I have detailed.
And no, JFK was not aghast with the Diem coup, he approved it
AI review:
Yes, the JFK administration tacitly approved the Diem coup, but did not explicitly order Diem’s assassination. In August 1963, Kennedy signaled that the U.S. would not stand in the way of a coup, and the administration eventually gave the CIA permission to encourage a group of South Vietnamese generals to depose Diem.
And the fantasy the Ho turned communist because Truman didn’t answer his letter is another of the rewriting of history attempts we see everyday.
You don’t get to rewrite history buddy.
The rewriting of history started with JFK assassination and when Vietnam became the quagmire it did shifting the blame to LBJ and then Nixon. I admired JFK but he was a man of many flaws, like most people, but those claiming he was opposed to troops in Vietnam really don’t know how he really felt.
These hate speech charges are new because they are no longer local, but have become global due to the vast social media. Governments fear them spreading because they fear for their regimes. In all of time past, most hate speech (as vaguely defined now) was benign because it was contained by geolocation, i.e. your neighborhood.
Now, if I said something hateful or seditious about the government on my blog, the FBI, though various technologies, could be aware of it within days. I’d be on some semi-secret list – to be monitored.
If Dr. Orozco restricted her complaints to the dinner table at home, she would still be practicing medicine. A more suitable punishment, if any is warranted, would be to ban the perpetrator from publishing to social media for a period of time. Imprisonment ruins lives and the government becomes more distrusted and hated than ever. Imprisonment is a lose-lose proposition for all. This is the folly of the UK and EU.
You’re applying American legal process argument to a country you know nothing about. Or speak their language. Your comment is null and void.
*wielding power (not yielding power)!
I don’t get it. The Dunceocrats, the RINOs, and Mamdani, Omar, Sanders, AOC, and the rest of the Islamics and Marxists proclaim that Socialism is good for people. Could such wise people possibly be wrong?
Right and wrong are relative terms. As is truth.
Truth is not relative. Truth is real. Truth is a person, Jesus Christ.
It’s long past time for some sober thinking: as much as we like to think so in the USA, Free Speech is not the default setting in the rest of the world.
We have a great experiment going on in our country and hopefully it will survive the challenges that seem to be popping up daily in the courts.
I’m writing this from where I currently live in Vietnam, and not only this country but pretty much all of Southeast Asia as well as the rest of the grand Asian continent place restrictions on free speech that are considered to be normal to their citizens of this region.
It’s obvious to me that the global movement is not toward greater free speech rights; It’s quite the opposite, which is to say, in the long run, a return to the default setting.
Thank you for the comment, which is timely and accurate, although I would argue that freedom is the “default setting” and that suppression of that freedom by authoritarian regimes is the perverted state that the world has found itself in for millennia. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, as some wise man has observed. It is only in the USA that we have avoided that, until now, but it has not been easy and is getting harder.
The fact is, no country in the history of the world has free speech rights as everyone (except g. thomas.) here understands and argues it. To say other countries lack of such explicate FS rights as ours is by no means “perverted”. If anything, the USA’s 1st A. is a perversion to the historical status quo worldwide.
WOL
I would putforth an observation that as stated by the founders, liberty and freedom only serve a educated, just and moral populace. Without leadership that is anchored in these parameters, the country will be led astray. Greed and power are intoxicating and it is only the moral compass that keeps good men good. I fear for our country and the shambles our children will suffer.
So Gordy
What are the penalties when one exceeds the “limits “ of acceptable speech in Vietnam? I say acceptable speech instead of free speech because if it were free, it would not be limited.
Assuming you can’s speak or write Vietnamese, you’d have a hard time knowing what the limits are.
Assuming you can’s speak or write Vietnamese, you’d have a hard time knowing what the limits are.
Assuming you aren’t a moron who finds meaning in their life by posting trolling BS, you might have a point. But no – you’re a meaningless empty moron who comes here in hopes of finding meaning for their life.
oh oh… sumone big big mad… calm down. You screwed up, admit it. So you retaliate with insults. You an adult?
For being a meaningless moron, you sure do pay a lot of attention to anon. BTW, get the pronouns right next time.
Just think before you comment. Maybe you won’t attract attention.