Freedom of speech does not justify bad manners.
WordPress.com provides a platform for people everywhere to express their opinion. I just suggested yesterday that perhaps it’s time to riot in the streets of America. No one has knocked on my door telling me that I can’t write that. I can criticize the president of the United States and call him names without fear of retribution. This freedom of expression is now accepted by most western nations. It includes the right to demonstrate, pray, and speak out without fear.
There are of course some limitations. Most obvious is yelling “fire” in a theater or inciting a mob.
Eleven Arabic students in Orange County, California at UC Irvine have been the object of a grand jury investigation that could lead to criminal charges for disrupting a speech by the Israeli ambassador last year.
Protesters at the University of Ottawa prevented Ann Coulter from giving a speech on March 23, 2010. Ms. Coulter said she has been speaking regularly at university campuses for a decade. While she has certainly been heckled, she said this is the first time an engagement has been cancelled because of protesters.
In both of these instances bad manners prevailed over reasonable discourse. Trying to stop someone from speaking because you disagree with their point of view is not a legal regulation. It’s refusing to accept the fact that there are differing opinions.
Coast Contact 