EU

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

>  >>> furuhashi.1 at osu.edu 08/15/01 04:28PM >>>
>  >CB: Right on , J.C.  I'm with you on that. The person dying for
>>fascists' free of speech, would be dying do that fascists could
>>speak for destroying freedom of speech.
>
>I doubt that any non- & anti-fascists have _literally died_ to defend
>fascists' right to freedom of speech & ever will.
>((((((((
>
>CB: The overdramatizing of one's willingess to sacrifice by 
>reference to willingness to die, of course, comes from the speaker 
>mentioned, and is part of the historical American rhetoric on this 
>issue. I think Paine said, I may disagree with what you say but will 
>defend to the death your right to say it.  I merely repeat their 
>exact phrase.
>
>Substitute for "the person dying" , " the person militantly 
>defending". In fact , ACLUers literally go to pretty active lengths 
>to defend fascists rights to speak, as you know, so the substance of 
>this speaker's enthusiasm, if not quite the full extent,  is actual 
>not theatre.

Expending time, money, energy, and/or expertise to do the necessary 
legal & public relations work may be sacrifice of sorts, but it's not 
in the same league as risking one's job, life, family, etc.  How many 
ACLUers actually would defend freedom of speech if doing so meant the 
latter, not the former?

Yoshie