To the nations of the "Arab Spring," you have a lesson before you that may be tough to accept and learn;
As Americans, we walk a fine line between freedoms and responsibilities. This fine line is not easily understood by us, little less by those who are not Americans and definitely not those with an axe to grind.
This current issue in the Middle-East, for example, likely a response to a hate-filled, intentionally offensive, anti-Muslim film, "Innocence of Muslims," made by an Egyptian born man living in the US, if Wikipedia is correct.
As an American, I have to accept his right to make the film, no matter how offensive, as a protection of the First Amendment section on Free Speech. As an American, I realize that this is one of those places where rights are proven to come with great responsibilities, as we have seen as of late and, sadly, many people forget or just outright ignore.
To the Muslim world, I ask for your understanding, that to step on his right to make the film, due to its likely intentional offensive nature, is as egregious as the Reverend Roy Phelps and his "church" and their protests in, I think, inappropriate circumstances has also been declared protected by the same First Amendment.
Hateful people will use good things to dark ends. To destroy the First Amendment to keep it from being misused would begin the toppling of the Freedoms and changes that many Middle-Eastern nations protested for so shortly ago and continue the degradation of the great experiment in Democracy in the US.
You can be authoritarian and dictatorial and make sure that such offensive expressions are not made, at least publicly, or you can have the Freedom to use your own judgment, knowing that their will always be those out there who will misuse and abuse those Freedoms.This balance just comes with the territory of Freedom, I find ALL good things can be misused.
As Americans, we walk a fine line between freedoms and responsibilities. This fine line is not easily understood by us, little less by those who are not Americans and definitely not those with an axe to grind.
This current issue in the Middle-East, for example, likely a response to a hate-filled, intentionally offensive, anti-Muslim film, "Innocence of Muslims," made by an Egyptian born man living in the US, if Wikipedia is correct.
As an American, I have to accept his right to make the film, no matter how offensive, as a protection of the First Amendment section on Free Speech. As an American, I realize that this is one of those places where rights are proven to come with great responsibilities, as we have seen as of late and, sadly, many people forget or just outright ignore.
To the Muslim world, I ask for your understanding, that to step on his right to make the film, due to its likely intentional offensive nature, is as egregious as the Reverend Roy Phelps and his "church" and their protests in, I think, inappropriate circumstances has also been declared protected by the same First Amendment.
Hateful people will use good things to dark ends. To destroy the First Amendment to keep it from being misused would begin the toppling of the Freedoms and changes that many Middle-Eastern nations protested for so shortly ago and continue the degradation of the great experiment in Democracy in the US.
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