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Guiding Words

By TChris, Section Civil Liberties
Posted on Thu May 04, 2006 at 03:42:38 PM EST
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by TChris

From a recent speech by Massachusetts Chief Justice Margaret Marshall, who grew up fighting apartheid:

"Anyone familiar with the history of oppression in any part of the world knows that silence is a facilitator of injustice"

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    Guiding Words | 6 comments (6 topical)
    Re: Guiding Words (none / 0) (#1)
    by Edger on Thu May 04, 2006 at 06:46:42 PM EST
    If I won't speak for anyone else, why should anyone else speak for me? If I keep my mouth shut when I see someone else demeaned, what good would it do me to holler if it happens to me? Who would listen? Or care?

    Re: Guiding Words (none / 0) (#2)
    by Edger on Thu May 04, 2006 at 07:14:10 PM EST
    ...there is a growing apprehension that existence is a rat-race in a trap: living organisms, including people, are merely tubes which put things in at one end and let them out at the other, which both keeps them doing it and in the long run wears them out. So to keep the farce going, the tubes find ways of making new tubes, which also put things in at one end and let them out at the other. At the input end they even develop ganglia of nerves called brains, with eyes and ears, so that they can more easily scrounge around for things to swallow.

    As and when they get enough to eat, they use up their surplus energy by wiggling in complicated patterns, making all sorts of noises by blowing air in and out of the input hole, and gathering together in groups to fight with other groups.

    In time, the tubes grow such an abundance of attached appliances that they are hardly recognizable as mere tubes, and they manage to do this in a staggering variety of forms. There is a vague rule not to eat tubes of your own form, but in general there is serious competition as to who is going to be the top type of tube. All this seems marvelously futile, and yet, when you begin to think about it, it begins to be more marvelous than futile. Indeed, it seems extremely odd.

    It is a special kind of enlightenment to have this feeling that the usual, the way things normally are, is odd--uncanny and highly improbable.

    Is there, then, some kind of a lowdown on this astounding scheme of things, something that never really gets out through the usual channels for the Answer--the historic religions and philosophies?

    There is. It has been said again and again, but in such a fashion that we, today, in this particular civilization do not hear it. We do not realize that it is utterly subversive...
    Inside Information

    Re: Guiding Words (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri May 05, 2006 at 08:25:12 AM EST
    I'm reminded of the old Cold War-era joke about an American and a Soviet comparing their two countries. American: "I can stand on the steps of the Capitol in Washington, shake my fist, and yell, 'To hell with the President and the Congress.' Soviet: "In my country, too, I can stand on the steps of the Kremlin in Moscow, shake my fist, and yell, 'To hell with the American President and Congress.' PPJ, the author also says in the column that courageous speech is only possible when there is a real threat of retaliation for such speech. Do you really believe that rot?

    Re: Guiding Words (none / 0) (#4)
    by jondee on Fri May 05, 2006 at 08:34:21 AM EST
    You can afford to be "indulgent" when you have a hundred or so Rush-clones broadcasting 24/7, a state sanctioned Pravda-like T.V network, embedded journalists/"consultants" and hundreds of freeper bloggers ready to launch a concerted smear campaign at the drop of a hat, if the need arrises.

    Re: Guiding Words (none / 0) (#5)
    by jimakaPPJ on Fri May 05, 2006 at 11:16:17 AM EST
    Jondee - Thank you. Now back to the subject at hand which is freedom of political speech:
    that silence is a facilitator of injustice"
    Dark Avenger - I think his point was that the Left may THINK they have been courageous, but in reality they have not. If you want to claim that just by responding when they THINK they are in jeopardy they are COURAGEOUS, I won't quibble, except to note that gives them miles and miles of leeway. I think therefore I have courage??? Jondee - Yes there were people who got into big time trouble for flapping their jaws, but I don't think that has happened in 40 years. Perhaps you can link us to a more current example?

    Re: Guiding Words (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri May 05, 2006 at 01:56:51 PM EST
    I think his point was that the Left may THINK they have been courageous, but in reality they have not. Yes, someone else to tell us what "The Left Thinks". Is this some sort of club with decoder rings, a secret password, etc? If you want to claim that just by responding when they THINK they are in jeopardy they are COURAGEOUS, I won't quibble, except to note that gives them miles and miles of leeway. No, I don't want to claim that, PPJ. Nice try. I think therefore I have courage??? On the first, my verdict is Scottish, and I will leave to more capable hands then mine any analysis of your courage.

    Guiding Words | 6 comments (6 topical)