SPEECH WE HATE

By Chris Daly

It was probably inevitable that Frank Rich would write a column insinuating that right-wing talk radio and television are responsible for the recent gun violence that killed an abortion doctor and a Holocaust museum guard. What I wish Rich had done is to really explore the issue, rather than tap it for temporary advantage. 

Here is a question that needs to be addressed by anyone who cares about free speech:

        What is the relationship between thought, speech, and action? 

I don't know the answer, but I am pretty sure that is question, and it has been addressed by philosophers, political thinkers, and law professors for many years. Rich could have tapped into that literature and opened up the issue for deeper thought. 

In my own case, here is something I am pretty sure of: I have had many thoughts that I have not spoken, and I have spoken many words that I did not act on.

Here is another question:

Is support for free speech a matter of principle (extending to all speech in all settings), or is it a matter of expediency (extending only to speech we agree with)?

Or is it more complicated?