 Voices For Freedom Read Columns
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© 2006 Daniel J. McLaughlin Cartoons And Free Speech Every day there are published articles, editorials and cartoons covering opinions on everything under the sun. I don't agree with many of them, many are biased, un-thoughtful, even hurtful. Should these people be allowed to publish biased, hurtful, unthinking opinions? Of course they should! Free speech is one of the foundations of a free society. Recently, there were some political cartoons that appeared in Danish newspapers that infuriated people in muslim countries and sparked violence. The State Department responded that, although free speech is important, the government “shares the offense that muslims have taken to these images” and hints that it is disrespectful to publish them. Every political cartoon, and most editorials, are, by their very nature, designed to offend someone. This editorial is designed to offend government leaders who don’t staunchly defend our foundational rights and hold them up for the world to see. It is designed to initiate some sort of action by the readers. Political commentary is a very effective way to show the absurdity of some behavior and to affect public opinion to bring about change. Think of all the political cartoons you have ever seen. Was there even one that was not intended to pinch someone to action or to ridicule or poke fun? Given the assumption that something should not be published because it offends someone, all political cartoons, editorials, etc., will have to be banned. But that is the whole point of freedom of speech. I have the right to say whatever I want, whether anyone does or doesn’t take offense. They can choose whether or not to be offended. Free speech, as a right, can be related, directly or indirectly, to most of the progress free societies have made over the last centuries. Lack of freedoms, especially speech, is a characteristic of backward countries and failed economies. Free speech keeps governments in check. Free speech exposes society’s ills and helps bring about healing change. Free speech is the most essential right of any free people. Lack of free speech is a sure sign of totalitarianism, whether that be the “tyranny of democracy”, alluded to by founders of this country, and now being installed in the middle east, or of the tyranny of the all powerful individual. For our government to officially declare that it “shares the offense taken” is to justify radical Islam’s repression of opposing views, condemn dissent and encourage those who would impose their totalitarian views on the world. It is also another wake up call to Americans to bring government back in check.
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Daniel Mclaughlin
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