Beginning of the End?

So many issues and attitudes regarding government and how we choose to live face free nations every day.  What services should our government provide - and how much?  What system of taxation should we use?  How do we provide welfare to those in need?  And so on and so forth.

Yet no matter where you are on each of these issues, and so many others like them, none seem to rise to the level of important as one issue in particular:  our freedom of speech.

Thus, when I read this today at Shrinkwrapped, I shuddered.

A Dutch political cartoonist was arrested this week on suspicion of insulting people because of their race or religion through his work, authorities said Friday.

The cartoonist, who works under the pseudonym Gregorius Nekschot, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of violating hate speech laws and held overnight before being released, a spokeswoman for his publisher Uitgeverij Xtra said.

"He was arrested with a great show of force, by around 10 policemen," the spokeswoman said.

This man was not arrested in North Korea, or Syria, or China.  In a purportedly free western democracy, police came and arrested a man because he was expressing political and philosophical beliefs.

In a free democracy, we like to think that we are able to express our views, even if they are anathema or offensive to others, for the ability to do so is the essence of freedom.  How else are we all to discuss, weigh, judge and decide if we are unable to express ourselves in an open manner?

Note that this individual was questioned for over thirty hours by the police for the "crime" of expressing his opinion.

That this could happen in a nation like Holland should strike fear into all of us.  It surely does into me - and I can only hope that an incident like this is a clarion call.  Ending one of our most precious freedoms is the beginning of the end.  Don't stay silent.  If you do, you ultimately may lose what matters most.

"Politically correct" is merely fascism in a smiley face.

Comments

[Greg]

I do not want to be rude, but where have you been the last 7 years? This stuff has been happening right here in the United States. I am surprised that none of this has caught your attention or outrage. But perhaps because it was mainly done by Republicans, and against those who disagree with the Bush Administration might be the cause. Let me just highlight a few of these issues.

* Don Zirkel, a 80 year old church deacon was arrested for wearing a anti-war t-shirt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GDTMv7VJWM

* Steve Howards, 55, was arrested after walking up to Dick Cheney and saying “Your policies in Iraq are disgusting” — then lightly touched the vice president’s shoulder. Now Cheney’s personal aide remembers Howards placing his hand on Cheney’s arm and shaking his hand.

* People being banned from speeches from the President for having "No Oil for War" bumper stickers.

* How about people being fired over having anti-bush bumper stickers on their cars? Or those who were ticketed for having anti bush bumper stickers?

* I will not even go into the whole new Bush term of free speech zones.

I could have linked all these and many more instances, but spam guard blocks me from doing so, but anyone can easily Google these incidents. Also as have been stated in the past, I am not a Hillary supporter, but she has had some of these free speech zones herself. My point is, do not look overseas for these issues, these events are happening right here in the United States, and I am beginning to wonder when will America go back to being America.