Tag: free speech
Diary of a stupid jerk: why we need free speech on campus
August 21, 2017 | Post
Like just about every other male between the ages of 13 and 25, I had tendencies, habits, and dispositions that could be charitably described as self-absorbed and boorish.
Ugly, senseless, hateful speech — it’s still not violence
August 18, 2017 | Post
The health effects of speech are inherently subjective. So who decides what speech is “harmful”?
No, corporations are not "people." But the First Amendment still applies.
July 5, 2017 | Post
A few weeks ago, I was on the toxic cesspool that Twitter has become, and got a reply to one of my Tweets: “You libertarians need to realize corporations=/=people if you want people to take you seriously.”
Free Speech, Muhammad Cartoons, and Islamism in Europe: Dave Rubin’s Interview with Flemming Rose
June 7, 2017 | Post
“I didn’t choose this fight. It was imposed upon me eleven years ago, when I was the editor responsible for publication of the so-called Danish Muhammad cartoons. “
Why the First Amendment is ‘first in importance’
May 24, 2017 | Post
The First Amendment is first, not simply because it falls at the beginning of a list of amendments, but because it articulates the first freedom and the nature of that freedom. It guarantees the freedom essential to humans as rational beings. By connecting the freedom of religion with the freedom of speech, the First Amendment […]
Is victim culture spreading beyond the university?
May 16, 2017 | Post
The disadvantaged are more likely to benefit from a free, open, and peaceful exchange of ideas than to be harmed by it.
Yes, free speech for fascists — a confession
March 10, 2017 | Post
Free expression is so important that we must tolerate even the expression of opposition to free expression.
In praise of safe spaces on campus
March 9, 2017 | Post
I want to come out in favor of safe spaces. Not everywhere, or for all purposes, but in general I think there should be a strong presumption in favor of limited and exclusive safe spaces for any group that wants to establish one. Of course, the group would need to have the ability and legal […]
President Trump's 6 biggest threats to liberty
January 20, 2017 | Post
Donald Trump is president. Here are his six biggest threats to liberty.
What Cannabis Activism And Free Speech Activism Have in Common
September 29, 2016 | Post
The freedom to express ourselves implies a freedom to imbibe potentially harmful substances.
Colin Kaepernick's Protest Is What Makes America Unique
September 22, 2016 | Post
Kaepernick is engaging in a uniquely American way of making his belief’s known. He’s standing up for a cause he believes in, and in doing so he is using his platform and privilege to amplify an important message. For this he should be celebrated and defended, not shouted down and diminished.
Are Novels Cultural Appropriation?
September 18, 2016 | Post
Author Lionel Shriver’s keynote address at the recent Brisbane Writer’s Festival has sparked heavy criticism. Shriver, best known for her book “We Need To Talk About Kevin”, spoke out against criticisms of authors based on cultural appropriation. The concept of cultural appropriation is divisive: some view it as oppression by majorities who adopt or appropriate […]
You Might Be Fined for Selling Your Car
September 17, 2016 | Post
After putting a “For Sale” sign in the window of his car, which was parked on the street outside his home, Michael Cefali was surprised to receive a $50 ticket from the city of San Juan Capistrano. According to the Orange County Register, Cefali violated a city code which “prohibits the parking of a vehicle […]
Are Giant Rats Free Speech?
September 13, 2016 | Post
Are giant rats free speech? This is the question at the heart of an ongoing suit in against the town of Grand Chute, Wisconsin. As a form of protest, unions will place giant, inflatable “union rats” in front of businesses they have disputes with. In Grand Chute, the town ordered that one of these rats […]
How Free Speech Protects Property
September 3, 2016 | Post
Does a ban on signs on the beach infringe on property rights? Edward and DeLanie Goodwin, in partnership with the Pacific Legal Foundation, argue that it does, and have filed a lawsuit with Walden County, Florida. Walden County recently banned all signs on private beach property—this includes “Private Property” and “No Trespassing” signs meant to […]
Friday Links
September 2, 2016 | Post
Here are some links to round out your week and send you off into the long weekend: San Francisco 49er’s Colin Kaepernick on why he’s refusing to stand for the national anthem. Veterans have come to Kaepernick’s defense against his critics. In a bizarre ruling, the 9th Circuit ruled that medical marijuana patients have no second amendment […]
Will This News Stop You From Protesting?
August 31, 2016 | Post
Earlier this month, the FBI released footage of the protests in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray filmed from the Bureau’s surveillance aircraft. While the FBI spy planes were called in to help police deal with the violent riots which broke out in Baltimore, the FBI also recorded hours of footage of peaceful daytime […]
The Difference Between Microaggressions and Hate Speech
August 12, 2016 | Post
Is asking someone, “Where are you from?” an example of microaggression? These days, it’s unclear. In general, people generally apply the term microaggression to describe subtle or perceived insults on socially marginalized groups. It’s such a vague term, however, that is often used to label behavior that could mean anything—or nothing at all. Nevertheless, in […]
College Professor Writes “Sexual Paranoia” Essay, Is Put Under Title IX Investigation
August 6, 2016 | Post
Northwestern University—like many universities around the country—recently banned consensual relations between faculty and students. In response to this decision, Northwestern Professor Laura Kipnis wrote an ironic essay highlighting all the professors married to former students on the campus and at other campuses around the country. In the Learn Liberty video below, Professor Kipnis discusses the […]
Putin’s Crackdown on Social Media Provides One Important Reminder to Americans
June 20, 2016 | Post
Russia has been cracking down on its internal dissent, limiting speech that does not coincide with the government’s narrow and controversial policies. Last year, up to 54 people were sent to prison for hate speech, marking a dramatic five-fold increase from five years ago. Take Anastasia Bubeyeva, for example. Bubeyeva now lives alone with her […]
Court to North Carolina State: Stop Requiring Students to Get a License to Speak
June 17, 2016 | Post
Those trying to curtail free speech often invoke its very limited exceptions to achieve their goals. For example, they often point to legitimate restrictions of speech based on “time, place, and manner.” This limited legal restriction to free speech allows police to, say, prevent public speech with a loudspeaker from occurring at 2 a.m. because […]
J.K. Rowling: Trump’s Freedom to Speak Protects My Right to Call Him a Bigot
June 4, 2016 | Post
Disagreeing with what someone has to say but defending his or her right to say it is the foundational defense of free speech. English writer Evelyn Beatrice Hall sums it up well when she says: I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”] This view […]
Claim: The Supreme Court Has Let Billionaires Run America
May 28, 2016 | Post
Corporate America can basically decide the outcome of an election because of the resources it can pour into campaigns. Basically, billionaires run our country and destroy our democratic process—and a 2010 Supreme Court ruling on a case called Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission is at fault. Or so the argument goes. What critics of […]
Desperate Students to College Administrators: Stop Being Paternalistic Babysitters
May 27, 2016 | Post
If you’ve been part of any conversation about American higher education recently, you might have heard someone complain that colleges and universities are morphing from educators to babysitters. Now, students at Dartmouth College are fighting back against the perceived shift. Leaders of the school’s student government delivered a scathing petition, signed by 1,200 students, demanding […]