Political Speech Punished in Egypt, Under-Appreciated Here
I commented to a friend, who is currently living in Cairo and who first alerted me to this story, that if the US government took this tactic, half of the political bloggers in the U.S. would be in jail.
That sounds like a laugh, until you examine this insight into the American psyche -- only 13 percent of Americans polled in 2006 knew that the First Amendment guarantees freedom of the press; 36 percent could not name any right guaranteed by the First Amendment. [Margin of error: +/- 3.5%]
Equally troubling (and perhaps a reflection of the prior info), four in 10 believed that newspapers should not "be allowed to freely criticize the U.S military about its strategy and performance."
If these Americans don't think newspapers should be allowed to be critical, do you really think they'd think it OK for bloggers to be? My guess is "no" and it's based on another data point from the survey: half believed we should not "be allowed to say things in public that might be offensive to religious groups."
That's part of the offense that landed Suleiman in jail in Egypt.
These final factoids about the state of the first amendment in the mind of the average American may worry me the most:
- About one-third believe that newspapers should not "be allowed to publish sensitive and classified government information" even if it "exposes government wrongdoing."
- About one-third believe that the press should not "be allowed to publish stories that criticize the actions of the government... even during wartime."
- About one-third believe that political candidates should not "be allowed to criticize the actions of government while campaigning... even during wartime."
In other words, a significant -- although minority -- percentage of the American public does not believe in public dissent.
Institutions Feel Threatened
The Internet, in general, and blogging software/hosts, in particular, is disrupting established institiutions -- including governments accustomed to controlling messages in domestic news outlets. Printing presses are expensive; an account at Blogger or Live Journal or Vox or WordPress is free.
Too often, perhaps, we take for granted our political speech rights protected by the First Amendment. It doesn't protect us from libel or slander (case law), but it prohibits the government from unreasonable censure (more case law). That's why some of the White House rhetoric around Iraq -- you're with us or you're like one of the terrorists (implied, never stated this baldly) -- set civil libertarian teeth on edge.
Freedom of speech is essential to a functioning democracy. It's a necessity for a functioning minority party. It's the mantle 'round which the press performs its watchdog role on government and other powerful societal institutions. It's also the reason the Michael Moore's and Rush Limbaugh's of this country get to say what they say in the public space.
Public v Private Speech
If you venture into the political forum associated with this site, sooner or later you'll hear someone yelp about how I'm restricting their "freedom of speech" because I prohibit copyright violations and personal attacks. I have to remind participants that this is a private space, with rules governing behavior -- if they don't like the rules, they are welcome to leave.
I think that one thing that has contributed to the vitriol that passes for political rhetoric in America is that politicans are except from libel/slander as they throw mud at one another. They set the bar, and columnists right-and-left, in print and on the air, mainstream and independent ... follow suit. I don't know if it is the reason but I think it's a reason that political rhetoric in this country is too often devoid of substance and, instead, is a verbal attack on another.
I'm asking the people in the US Politics forum to adhere to a higher standard of political speech than that binding just about every other pundit and politician. Consider it my call for a return to civility. Just don't call it an abridgement of "free speech."
For additional reading: Danish Cartoonists, Political Correctness and Freedom of the Press, Flag Burning and the US Congress, Google Fights US Request for "Porn" Data, The Legacy of William Rehnquist : Notable Cases, The Bill of Rights - US Constitution - Amendments 1 - 10.
Sources for information about freedom of speech: