Comments on: John McCain, enemy of free speech http://pjmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/01/12/john_mccain_enemy_of_free_spee/ Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:59:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Don’t Blame Barr « Darkblog http://pjmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/01/12/john_mccain_enemy_of_free_spee/#comment-2042 Don’t Blame Barr « Darkblog Sat, 07 Jun 2008 20:26:44 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/01/12/john-mccain-enemy-of-free-speech/#comment-2042 [...] desirable–from a conservative perspective–on both of these fundamental rights (see here and [...] [...] desirable–from a conservative perspective–on both of these fundamental rights (see here and [...]

]]> By: OmegaPaladin http://pjmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/01/12/john_mccain_enemy_of_free_spee/#comment-600 OmegaPaladin Thu, 17 Jan 2008 08:20:39 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/01/12/john-mccain-enemy-of-free-speech/#comment-600 McCain-Feingold doesn't bother me that much. I oppose it, but it is not going to play a role in deciding my vote. Foreign policy and national security are basically my only issues. I am angry about McCain's take on immigration, but its not enough to make me prefer a democrat over him. It's definitely a reason why I'm not campaigning for him. My primary vote is still undecided: Romney is not making a good foreign policy case, Rudy is a scandal magnet with no family values, McCain is not much of a conservative, Fred is almost too conservative to win the general election. One thing I would ask many of the commenters here - do you really think McCain is worse than Hillary or Obama? Would it matter if he chose a hardcore conservative VP? McCain-Feingold doesn’t bother me that much. I oppose it, but it is not going to play a role in deciding my vote. Foreign policy and national security are basically my only issues. I am angry about McCain’s take on immigration, but its not enough to make me prefer a democrat over him. It’s definitely a reason why I’m not campaigning for him. My primary vote is still undecided: Romney is not making a good foreign policy case, Rudy is a scandal magnet with no family values, McCain is not much of a conservative, Fred is almost too conservative to win the general election.

One thing I would ask many of the commenters here – do you really think McCain is worse than Hillary or Obama? Would it matter if he chose a hardcore conservative VP?

]]> By: raven http://pjmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/01/12/john_mccain_enemy_of_free_spee/#comment-599 raven Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:51:37 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/01/12/john-mccain-enemy-of-free-speech/#comment-599 I would invite everyone to view Ezra Levant's thoughtcrime trial -in Canada, before the NEWSPEAK named "Human Rights Commission". They are interrogating him because some islamist radical Iman had his "feelings" hurt , apparently Levant's paper published the "mohammed" cartoons, and now he is the subject of "thought-cleansing." His You -tube clips of the kangaroo court are a chilling view of what can happen to free speech. And a inspiration to those who would stand up to petty dictators. At this juncture, it is appropriate to quote my favorite line from the Declaration of Independence " for he has erected a multitude of new offices ,and sent forth a swarm of officers to harass us and eat out our substance..." I would invite everyone to view Ezra Levant’s thoughtcrime trial -in Canada, before the NEWSPEAK named “Human Rights Commission”. They are interrogating him because some islamist radical Iman had his “feelings” hurt , apparently Levant’s paper published the “mohammed” cartoons, and now he is the subject of “thought-cleansing.” His You -tube clips of the kangaroo court are a chilling view of what can happen to free speech. And a inspiration to those who would stand up to petty dictators. At this juncture, it is appropriate to quote my favorite line from the Declaration of Independence
” for he has erected a multitude of new offices ,and sent forth a swarm of officers to harass us and eat out our substance…”

]]> By: Lorenz Gude http://pjmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/01/12/john_mccain_enemy_of_free_spee/#comment-598 Lorenz Gude Mon, 14 Jan 2008 04:15:33 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/01/12/john-mccain-enemy-of-free-speech/#comment-598 I think McCain Feingold a mistake too, but an honest one. It is not going anyplace given the free speech enabling media environment created by the Net. Like Fred, I thought it was worth a try but changed my mind. McCain in his Pajamas media interview with Roger Simon recently came right out and said "I'm an idealist' and like a lot of idealists he gets things out of balance - goes too far. I was particularly amused when he came out with the standard left wing explanation for Islamism - lack of economic opportunity. And then showed he was getting it when he said it was 'something differnt' when young Muslim MDs hurled themselves in flames at an airport in Scotland. To his credit I think he understands the GWOT the best of any candidate with Rudy and Fred a close second. I also agree with the above that he doesn't have the executive temperament. But he understands that Islamofascism is the defining issue of our times and that promising to repeat the national disaster of Vietnam as the Dems are doing is the defining issue of this election. I'll vote for a drover's dog as we say in Australia before I vote for defeat of my country - McCain Feingold be damned. I think McCain Feingold a mistake too, but an honest one. It is not going anyplace given the free speech enabling media environment created by the Net. Like Fred, I thought it was worth a try but changed my mind. McCain in his Pajamas media interview with Roger Simon recently came right out and said “I’m an idealist’ and like a lot of idealists he gets things out of balance – goes too far. I was particularly amused when he came out with the standard left wing explanation for Islamism – lack of economic opportunity. And then showed he was getting it when he said it was ‘something differnt’ when young Muslim MDs hurled themselves in flames at an airport in Scotland. To his credit I think he understands the GWOT the best of any candidate with Rudy and Fred a close second. I also agree with the above that he doesn’t have the executive temperament. But he understands that Islamofascism is the defining issue of our times and that promising to repeat the national disaster of Vietnam as the Dems are doing is the defining issue of this election. I’ll vote for a drover’s dog as we say in Australia before I vote for defeat of my country – McCain Feingold be damned.

]]> By: Maggie's Farm http://pjmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/01/12/john_mccain_enemy_of_free_spee/#comment-601 Maggie's Farm Sun, 13 Jan 2008 13:11:19 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/01/12/john-mccain-enemy-of-free-speech/#comment-601 <strong>Sunday Links</strong> Spies for Al Qaida. Big Lizard. The bad guys seem to slink away right before an assault. Teaching teachers not to teach. h/t, Minding the CampusThe real meaning of academic letters of recommendation.John McCain: Enemy of free speechKrugman just can't stop Sunday Links

Spies for Al Qaida. Big Lizard. The bad guys seem to slink away right before an assault. Teaching teachers not to teach. h/t, Minding the CampusThe real meaning of academic letters of recommendation.John McCain: Enemy of free speechKrugman just can’t stop

]]> By: billy hank http://pjmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/01/12/john_mccain_enemy_of_free_spee/#comment-597 billy hank Sun, 13 Jan 2008 05:09:16 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/01/12/john-mccain-enemy-of-free-speech/#comment-597 There are a lot of reasons why I might support McCain's run for President. McCain-Feingold is the reason I will absolutely NOT support him. There are a lot of reasons why I might support McCain’s run for President. McCain-Feingold is the reason I will absolutely NOT support him.

]]> By: Seerak http://pjmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/01/12/john_mccain_enemy_of_free_spee/#comment-596 Seerak Sun, 13 Jan 2008 04:14:38 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/01/12/john-mccain-enemy-of-free-speech/#comment-596 "...a man who advertises himself as a conservative and champion of individual liberty." You need to check your premises. Conservatism was born of religious reaction against the Enlightenment (specifically its roots in the reliance upon reason); the Left is merely the anti-Enlightenment, a perversion of that salutory culture engineered by Immanuel Kant. Individual liberty is a principle born of the Enlightenment. Its current association with conservatism is a consequence of political expedience, no more; it is an adopted orphan that ultimately does not belong there. It is NOT a "principle of conservatism"; if you want to see what those really are, you need to read "The Conservative Mind" by Russell Kirk, for starters. McCain-Feingold is definitely at odds with freedom and liberty; in the original meaning, it is certainly an illiberal, un-American piece of legislation. But there are no grounds to call it "un-conservative" -- unless conservatism has become something other than what Kirk and others of his ilk say it is. “…a man who advertises himself as a conservative and champion of individual liberty.”

You need to check your premises.

Conservatism was born of religious reaction against the Enlightenment (specifically its roots in the reliance upon reason); the Left is merely the anti-Enlightenment, a perversion of that salutory culture engineered by Immanuel Kant.

Individual liberty is a principle born of the Enlightenment. Its current association with conservatism is a consequence of political expedience, no more; it is an adopted orphan that ultimately does not belong there. It is NOT a “principle of conservatism”; if you want to see what those really are, you need to read “The Conservative Mind” by Russell Kirk, for starters.

McCain-Feingold is definitely at odds with freedom and liberty; in the original meaning, it is certainly an illiberal, un-American piece of legislation. But there are no grounds to call it “un-conservative” — unless conservatism has become something other than what Kirk and others of his ilk say it is.

]]> By: gregh http://pjmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/01/12/john_mccain_enemy_of_free_spee/#comment-595 gregh Sat, 12 Jan 2008 23:09:43 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/01/12/john-mccain-enemy-of-free-speech/#comment-595 SDN, In the article you cited, he said he was <i>not</i> ready to scrap it. Further, he didn't say it was a mistake, just that it wasn't working out the way it was intended, whatever that's supposed to mean. There's nothing to indicate that he's changed his position on its constitutionality or inherit goodness, wiseness, and justness, just, perhaps that the genius of the people has somehow thwarted it. The sad reality is that there is no decent motives to be ascribed to the men who wrote and fought for that legislation. SDN,
In the article you cited, he said he was not ready to scrap it. Further, he didn’t say it was a mistake, just that it wasn’t working out the way it was intended, whatever that’s supposed to mean. There’s nothing to indicate that he’s changed his position on its constitutionality or inherit goodness, wiseness, and justness, just, perhaps that the genius of the people has somehow thwarted it.
The sad reality is that there is no decent motives to be ascribed to the men who wrote and fought for that legislation.

]]> By: Rob http://pjmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/01/12/john_mccain_enemy_of_free_spee/#comment-594 Rob Sat, 12 Jan 2008 22:55:59 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/01/12/john-mccain-enemy-of-free-speech/#comment-594 Screw McCain, I'm writing in Ron Paul this November. Vote for a candidate who understands what liberty is. Screw McCain, I’m writing in Ron Paul this November. Vote for a candidate who understands what liberty is.

]]> By: SDN http://pjmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/01/12/john_mccain_enemy_of_free_spee/#comment-593 SDN Sat, 12 Jan 2008 22:39:50 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerkimball/2008/01/12/john-mccain-enemy-of-free-speech/#comment-593 Except, unlike McCain, Thompson has <a href="http://opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110009798" rel="nofollow">admitted </a> he made a mistake and it should be scrapped for full disclosure. Except, unlike McCain, Thompson has admitted he made a mistake and it should be scrapped for full disclosure.

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