[PLUG-TALK] Re: [PLUG] Sounds good to me ;)

Jeme A Brelin jeme at brelin.net
Tue Jun 18 21:55:29 UTC 2002


On Tue, 18 Jun 2002, Craighead, Scot D wrote:
> You're right.  Everyone else in the world has their own unique
> culture, but we do not.

I didn't assert that at all.  I can name dozens of nations with no right
to claim cultural protection for their dominant culture.  The entire
British Commonwealth is composed of examples.  The United States is
another example.

The native ancient cultures are not reflected in the dominant culture and
therefore the dominant culture cannot claim the same rights of protection.

> Name one place where freedom of speech was written law before the
> ratification of the US constitution.

You mean, of course, the ratification of the Bill of Rights, a set of
amendments to the US Constitution.  After all, the Constitution doesn't
protect the rights of the people in any way, shape, or form.  It is a
document protecting the wealthy FROM the people.

The Constitution of the State of Virginia was written before the
ratification of the Bill of Rights (or, indeed, the Constitution) and
contains a clause protecting the Freedom of Speech (Section 12).

The idea of inherent rights of people that include expression are
fundamental principles of the Enlightenment, a period and school of
philosophy that sprouted in Europe just before the turn of the 18th
century.  You'll find proponents of a Freedom of Speech throughout
Enlightentment literature and most of those writers were English and
French.  Jefferson was a latecomer to the Enlightenment, but still an
important figure.

J.
-- 
   -----------------
     Jeme A Brelin
    jeme at brelin.net
   -----------------
 [cc] counter-copyright
 http://www.openlaw.org





More information about the PLUG-talk mailing list