Noam signs on

[Dennis Perrin]

> should a person be imprisoned for holocaust denial? i think that
> would be a contextual issue. perhaps not in the usa but in, say,
> germany? france might be a bit more iffy, but given french complicity
> in the genocide, it's probably justifiable.
>
> hey, someone wants to spread lies must be prepared to pay for it. and
> sorry, i can't feel too principled about that.
>
> kj khoo

That's too bad -- because it's in these extreme cases where we find out
who's really serious about free speech.

Apart from libel (and even that's sketchy for some, including Chomsky, who
on principle won't sue those who've blatantly lied about him) and incitement
to violence, I say protect the right to lie about history. Otherwise, you
allow the state to determine what's historically correct, and we've seen
rather brutal examples of where that leads.

DP