THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH

The past few days have not been happy ones so far as the world is concerned.  There have been too many killings, woundings, and general unrest.  Indeed much of what has happened and been dramatically headlined all over the world comes under the over-abused terminology of "Freedom"- freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of expression.  Some of the media has then narrowed it all down and brought all those under one banner - "Democracy" which to my little mind it isn't.

As a first "for instance" - but without labouring the subject - the disgraceful publication by the French Magazine "Closer" of certain photographs of the Duchess of Cambridge in no way can be defended by calling it "the freedom of the press",   It is nothing more than the scandalous intrusion into the privacy of the Duke and Duchess in a private home, by some sleazy photographer in order to get a good payment of money from an equally sleazy magazine which in turn hopes to make a big increase in sales.   It has nothing at all to do with freedom of the press.

Then we had and still have at the time of writing the anti-American riots going on across the globe from Australia to the whole of North Africa to the Middle East, to Yemen, to India, to Malaysia and to Indonesia - all because some unknown (until now) film maker in the United States made a film that totally and completely insulted the Islam religion.   The United States Secretary of State Mrs. Hilary Clinton was quite right when she described the film as "disgusting".   Nevertheless, we have been subjected to some people in the United States defending the film under the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States which enshrines the right to freedom of speech..   

When I wrote a couple of months ago about the right to have weapons in the home, I questioned whether the revered Founding Fathers of America when they included the right to bear arms really intended people to have the right to have automatic weapons, machine guns and suchlike in their homes.  I don't think so.  The right to bear arms was written at a time when people needed to defend themselves during a period of civil strife in the country.   Similarly, I am quite sure that the right to freedom of speech was never intended to allow people like Mr. Nakoula the so-called film-maker as well as Mr. Terry Jones, a self styled pastor in Florida from being insulting and abusive to people - not just a religion - to such an extent that their so-called freedom allows them to cause total mayhem around the world.  People including the United States Ambassador to Libya have been murdered, dozens have been injured and important buildings destroyed as a result of their actions and their words.  Yet nothing has been done about these people.  We are told it is their right to freedom of speech.  To me that is total nonsense.

The United States is a great country and I lived there for many years and received many benefits from my stay there, but like all countries it also has faults.  It is certainly the most powerful country even if China comes close behind in that regard, but it is at the moment unfortunately one of the most unpopular.  That has to be remedied as quickly as possible, but it cannot be remedied if these people and others like them are protected and can do and say what they like under that freedom of speech nonsense.   No one should object to criticism, but what they have done and said is not criticism.  It is blatantly and deliberately designed to be inflammatory.

I have quoted many times the words of a friend of mine who was a Buddhist monk in Thailand.  He said that one of the three tenets of life is to understand the next person.  By understanding where they are coming from you may still not agree with them, but at least you will understand their reasoning.   This is very true and should be followed in the case of these many riots about that film "The Innocence of Moslims".   In many countries - especially in the Middle East - before a film can start production the script and everything that goes with it has to be approved by the Government.   That may seem strange and indeed wrong in many westerners minds, but in those countries it is the norm.  Therefore when this film that has inflamed so many people was released, people in those countries that require Government approval to make a film, assume that it had been given the "green light" by the U.S. Government thus making the U.S. a party to the whole unfortunate thing.  We know this is not true, but it is hard to explain that to people who know something else to be the norm.

So why has nothing been done apart from speeches of "regret" coming from Washington?  In a country where people are only too happy to sue, sue, sue at the slightest upset if something is said about them they don't like and no one calls in the right to freedom of speech in those cases, it seems quite extraordinary to me that nothing has been done about the inflammatory remarks made by Mr. Jones ( who is sure to get a few minutes of fame when the inevitable interview on a TV network happens).  As for Mr. Nakoula Basseley Nakoula the alleged film maker - who incidentally, has spent time in jail having been convicted of a bank robbery in 2010 if my memory is correct and I apologize if I have the date wrong - nothing has been done about him except to him being brought in for questioning on a parole violation and then sent home. Could anything be more pathetic and laughable?  That will not look good with the protesting people I am sure.

Unfortunately I have to ask, is it any wonder that the popularity of America and Americans is going down quickly overseas.   This has to be stopped and to do that these matters and people must be dealt with in a quick and timely manner.  Such things can not be allowed ot happen again.