There is just something so . . sweet about someone from the UK evoking our Constitution right after Independence Day (clearly no hard feelings on their side, eh?) ---- my god, I might believe in this whole globalization thing yet!  Go Ian!

Thus, the First Amendment has been turned into a joke, as anyone who wants to can find some nook or fold in its wording into which they imagine they can slip their product. And, alas, there will always be those who are swift to support this, usually bleating comparisons to Nazi Germany (oh, yes, the Nazis are protected, too!) and brandishing scare tactics that suggest a little common sense would lead overnight to repression and book burning.


* When the Founding Fathers chose to include protection of "the press" they meant literally the printing press. They did not use the term as we do today, as slang for newspapers and other such journalism. Those, by virtue of being produced on printing presses were, of course, protected, tho there were still laws of libel and slander to counterbalance the excesses that would, and have been born out of abuse of the First Amendment.

Ian Evans wrote: Are you guys honestly telling me that I didn't overdo it enough so that you got that I was kidding??  Please tell me Glenn got it, at least...!

You did.  I got it.  I got it so much that I got turned around and couldn't tell if THEY were kidding.

John Byrne wrote: It often seems far too little consideration is given to content over format. Thus, the debate becomes over the questions of whether something like CDs are protected (decision says yes), without much thought to whether a rap "song" that encourages the rape and brutalization of women should, indeed, be afforded the same protection as, say, an essay protesting such treatment.

And even further confounding the issue, we have broadened the ban or regulation (through laws like McCain/Feingold) of direct political speech which advocates that an incumbent should be defeated in an imminent election.  It's like a full circle -- we are most protective of speech the framers hadn't even contemplated, but reckless in our protection of the very kind of advocacy they were trying to protec.

By the way red is my favorite color and i like this kind of pull/sweater. When I was ten years old I had one:

I still like it today, maybe i'ld buy one if i find it.

Like I said I love this color.

I don't think this is my dark side, but who knows? We all have one I think:

I may be misunderstanding you, here, but I do not recall anyting in McCain/Feingold that could be thus described. Which part or parts are you referencing?

"Have you even read the Declaration of Independence?  There's a little thing in there called the First Amendment that you maybe ought to read, buddy. "

John -- while of the Declaration is important historically, it is really just a piece of paper [albeit with a hidden map on the back]. I think you mean the constitution.