@HAL
Respectfully, I find it hard to believe that you are incapable of differentiating between hurting someone’s feelings and having a public institution post signage promoting violence against a disenfranchised minority.
So I will try and say this again. No HAL. I do not think that the government has an obligation to make sure people’s feelings don’t get hurt. I do, however, believe that the government has an obligation to promote policies that protect the welfare and safety of its citizens.
So HAL, are you going to do me the courtesy of explaining to me your perspective concerning freedom of expression? Or are we just going to go with Timo’s assessment?
@Chrono- I enjoyed the video. I am surprised that I had not known the origins of the “yelling fire in a movie theater” meme. However, it does not surprise me that the most commonly cited metaphor for restricting free speech originated when immigrant workers were leafleting against government policies.
I did not watch the subsequent video, but it seems to me that Hitchens was demonstrating how limits on freedom of expression can be used to further marginalize the disenfranchised, and to limit dialogue on controversial subjects. It would have been interesting to hear him respond to an example of a form of speech which does not allow dialogue, (such as a poster, financed by a powerful group) designed to further marginalize a disenfranchised minority.
@Bad Pear – All laws are subjective. That is why we have a legislative branch to create them, and a judicial branch to interpret them.
@Timo – Really welcomed your input. I need to look over Lehman v. Shaker Heights. NYS incorporated its mass transit system (which used to be a combination of privately owned companies running different subway lines) into a “public benefit corporation.” It has a state appointed board of directors, and the NYC portion is accountable to the City Council. That might be a little different from other transpiration systems in the country. But your sparked my interest, and I’m going to do a little reading.
In terms of mass transit, in my neighborhood, there approximately 40 parking spots for every 300 residential units. The neighborhood was built alongside the construction of the elevated train, in the 1910’s, at a time when no one imagined each family owning a car. The closest garage is a 10 minute walk away, and charges $300 for monthly parking. The closest bus is literally outside my front door, and there are 5 different subway lines within a 15 minute walk. Mass transit is not an option. It is what the infrastructure supports.
@Darkdragon46 – I think you really nailed it. When we dehumanize people, it is easier to kill them. Militaries throughout history have mastered the skill of dehumanizing the enemy. And this campaign is designed to dehumanize the Palestinians, and perhaps to dehumanize a third of humanity.
And finally @Mr. Blackwell and 12 Monkeys – I was genuinely puzzled by those photos, because I have never seen any of those ads. So I did a little googling. And guess what? An organization named Atlasshrugged (which is one of the cosponsors of the ad in the op) led an active campaign to prevent the posting of this “anti-Israeli” ad.
http://www.carolineglick.com/e/2011/09/ny-subway-ads-calling-for-endi.php