just an article i read after i got curious about the olympic torch protest..
at the end of it.. was something i found quite meaningful.
Mr Johnson said:
"If people feel they want to protest peacefully I support their right to do it.
"Freedom of Speech is a fundamental right we should always defend."
article is here:
Freedom of what !!???
Freedom of speech is something that everyone should have the right to exercise.
But with freedom and rights also comes reponsibility.
We cannot abuse our freedom of speech to defame or slander and spread lies and rumours for hidden agendas.
I don't think its right to spread hostile or false propaganda either.
There should be proper laws and regulations preventing people from abusing their freedom of speech rights.
Humans should never be given full freedom to anything... We have the tendancy to sray away from our moral codes if given too much freedom...
Rules are what make a human society human...
Rules are what make a human society human...
Too slack with too little rules, people take for granted and abuse the system.
Too strict with too many rules and the people become depressed.
We in Singapore have too many rules, regulations, restrictions controlling our lives and activities.
The rules must be just right and designed to serve man, not design to secure the ruling parties' rule.
u all have full freedom to praise PAP.
here is the take use it or you loose it.
there will be opinion all over too right too left. but the population must learn to decifier the message and come to their own conclusion. Freedom to choose your believe, your life style. your voice.
Originally posted by Poh Ah Pak:................
We cannot abuse our freedom of speech to defame or slander and spread lies and rumours for hidden agendas.
.................
Only governments are resourceful enough to defame and spread lies and rumors for hidden agenda.
The ruler of your country makes it a habit to defame people which he doesn't like to be insane.
FOS is a myth, imo.
V FOR VENDETTA!
In sg, there is NO such thing as *Freedom of Speech*...even our mouths are controlled...
Court: Dutch lawmaker is entitled to make anti-Quran statements
THE HAGUE, Netherlands – A Dutch lawmaker who sparked protests across the Muslim world with a film criticizing the Quran is entitled to express his anti-Islamic views, a court ruled Monday, rejecting a request to muzzle him.
The court ruled that the views expressed by right-wing legislator Geert Wilders do not exceed the legal boundaries against inciting hatred or violence.
The Netherlands Islamic Federation withdrew its petition to ban Wilders' film “Fitna” after it appeared on the Internet March 27, the day before the case was heard in a heavily guarded courtroom.
The movie, which links terror attacks by Muslim extremists with texts from Islam's holy book, triggered angry street protests in Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as calls in other countries to boycott Dutch goods.
The federation asked The Hague District Court to order Wilders to stop making statements “in writing, on film or spoken” that are deemed insulting to Muslims, and to apologize for past statements. Wilders has called the Quran a fascist book and compared it to Adolf Hitler's “Mein Kampf.”
In a written judgment published Monday, the court said Wilders' right to free speech and role as a politician allow him to voice his criticisms of radical Islam and the Quran.
As a lawmaker, Wilders “must be able to – sometimes in sharp terms – express his opinions,” the ruling said. “In this context, it cannot be said that (Wilders') statements – even though provocative – are an incitement to hate or violence against Muslims.”
Wilders welcomed the ruling.
“I always believed that within the context of political debate ... I should be allowed to say what my opinion is, which is that I see the danger and threat of Islam to our country and the West,” he told The Associated Press.
“As a politician, you have to be able to say what you think,” he said.
In his film, Wilders couples verses from the Quran with images of the terror attacks on New York, Madrid and elsewhere, and shows footage of imams saying Islam should dominate the world.
The movie also says it is up to Muslims to “tear out the hateful verses from the Quran.”
Despite protests in the Muslim world, there was no violent backlash in the Netherlands, where Wilders' anti-Islam views are widely known.
Wilders has often warned of what he calls the growing “Islamization” of the Netherlands, where Muslims make up about 850,000 of the 16 million population.
Wilders slightly modified “Fitna” after he was threatened with possible legal action for copyright violation for using a cartoon by a Danish artist who portrayed Islam's prophet wearing a bomb-shaped turban.
“Fitna,” which in Arabic means “strife,” now starts and ends with a different cartoon portraying a bearded man in a turban carrying a globe, with a lit fuse on his shoulder.
There is no freedom of speech anywhere in the world.
If there is this so called freedom, we would have racists holding rallies aganist the "race" they hate.
there was FOS
but ppl abuse it
so might as well dun give them
orbigoot
OMG..... are you telling me that ppl who posted Anti-Govt views here are 'Hunted Down' every day ![]()
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If not..... ain't you already having the freedom to said what you want
I think what we want is not 'Freedom of Speech'...... but Freedom from Responsible if our speech cause problem.....
FOS doesn't imply no-holds-barred talk all kinds of nonsense without consequences. it has boundaries as well. we need to be aware of this.
Originally posted by FireIce:there was FOS
but ppl abuse it
so might as well dun give them
orbigoot
fos is a double-edge sword. ppl can abuse it but ppl also can benefit from it.
i think overall it should benefit mankind for we can hear various views and then make our own independent decisions.
FOS doesn't imply no-holds-barred talk all kinds of nonsense without consequences. it has boundaries as well. we need to be aware of this.
Great.... ![]()
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But like FireIce pointed out..... how do you prevent ppl from abusing it ![]()
What happen when someone in S'pore wants to produce a similar film like 'Finta'.....
If we were to stop him/her..... there would be no real 'FOS'
If we don't stop him/her..... we would have no peace among the races.
Could we depend on S'poreans to knows the boundaries.....
to be aware of the consequences....
I really hope we could..... but seeing how if I don't agree with Anti-Govt views here instantly made me a ''PAP running dog".... I doubt we understand what FOS really means.....
Just my 2 cents worth.... or is even this too Pro-Govt for the ppl here...... ![]()
Originally posted by hloc:OMG..... are you telling me that ppl who posted Anti-Govt views here are 'Hunted Down' every day
If not..... ain't you already having the freedom to said what you want
I think what we want is not 'Freedom of Speech'...... but Freedom from Responsible if our speech cause problem.....
Maybe on the Internet, yes for most people but still there would be censorship.
So yes, the FOS people are actually seeking is freedom from responsiblity when what they say cause problems.
Originally posted by redDUST:FOS doesn't imply no-holds-barred talk all kinds of nonsense without consequences. it has boundaries as well. we need to be aware of this.
Actually FOS does imply that.
FOS with boundaries doesn't = FOS.
Maybe on the Internet, yes for most people but still there would be censorship.
Do you have the so called freedom of speech in your daily life?
Like going up to your boss and saying that he/she is a lazy bum?
Sure I could..... if I want to be jobless the next day......
Which is why I said what we wanted is - "Freedom from Responsible if our speech cause problem"
Actually FOS does imply that.
FOS with boundaries doesn't = FOS
Agree..... which is why again I question is S'porean really ready for No Hold Bars FOS as they have always said they want.....
Originally posted by RoyFang:There is no freedom of speech anywhere in the world.
If there is this so called freedom, we would have racists holding rallies aganist the "race" they hate.
and you are justifying for ??? justifying what???
a gun can protect you, so legalise it?
freedom is what u have to fight for.
with money and power, many in many countries can dictate many things.
so people have to fight for their own freedom , something not given to you for free. when someone can control you, why do you think he would let go of this power? if let go, he is no body.
that's why i said FOS is a myth in the first place. in reality, there is no such thing.
when america prides itself and say it is a free country, is it really `free' in every sense of the word? that one can rape, pillage and steal to one's heart's content because america declares itself `free'?
FOS in reality is relative when it is used and applied.
let's have a dose of realism here when we discuss this. if one insists on discussing FOS in its theoratical context, then i rest my case.
Mr Johnson said:
"If people feel they want to protest peacefully I support their right to do it.
"Freedom of Speech is a fundamental right we should always defend."
even in this sentence above which the TS quoted, FOS is already conditional. no prizes for guessing which word it is.
Come one, freedom of speech isn't that good all the time.
Freedom of speech can allow a biased news reporting to take place, because the media will have freedom of speech as well.
You think improving freedom of speech means more people will be more clever towards any news source reporting?
And just a side note, freedom of speech also means people have the freedom to be dumb, and worst, start to spread their stupid beliefs towards others, even if it is a dumb idea.
and worst, start to spread their stupid beliefs towards others, even if it is a dumb idea.
There should be regulation regarding abuse of this right.