My Space is one of the major portals to the internet. 67 million people are said to use it. So it is of concern when we read:
"MySpace does not allow users under 14, and also combs through the millions of images uploaded daily to filter out "nudity, hate speech, hate icons, and offensive content," Ms. Dudeck said.
Source
They are of course entitled to do just that but it is just one episode in an ongoing move towards more and more limits on free speech. There will hopefully always remain some sites that express unpopular views but if you cannot find them via search engines or popular portals to the net, they might as well not exist for most people.
And nobody ever seems to define "hate speech" with any exactitude. It seems to me that heaps of comments about President Bush ("Bush = Hitler" etc) that emanate from the Left are clear examples of hate speech but they somehow get a pass. But how long will that last? Would similar comments about a future President Hillary Clinton be allowed? It seems to me that we are only a very small step from much political debate being declared as hate speech and that would surely mean the virtual end of democracy. I don't like such slippery slopes at all.
American Flag Banned in an American School
We read:
"More than two dozen students walked out of Skyline High School Friday morning to protest what they say is a ban that doesn't allow the American flag to be flown on school grounds. The principal said that the ban isn't just on American flags -- it's on all flags. Several students who walked out of class Friday said that they were upset that Mexican flags can be waved around but that American flags couldn't..."
Source
I cannot see why the national flag of ANY country should be banned from government buildings of the country concerned. In many countries displaying the national flag would be compulsory, in fact.
And that there are no principles involved is shown by the fact that displaying the Mexican flag was perfectly accepted until the students started displaying the U.S. flag as well. It is clearly just a rejection of American patriotism while saying any other national loyalty is just fine.
I wonder how many of the world's liberties were fought for under the Mexican flag? It seems to me that to dishonor the flag is to dishonor all those who died under it.
(Hat tip to Slapstick Politics)
