.... Thirty years since a sentence of death was proclaimed by a powerful Iranian lunatic against one of our great novelists, it makes sense to reflect. Thirty years since an American senator tried to have our government approve or disapprove art, it makes sense to reflect. How much freedom do we want? What power do we believe words actually hold to harm, or do violence? Are we moving farther away from the fatwa that tried to condemn Rushdie? Or are we moving closer to it?
As Americans, the people who stand before the world to uphold the concepts of freedom and individual rights, as a people who were shaken by the threats against Rushdie then, we must be steeled against threats to free speech now. There can be no middle ground. Basphemers must be allowed to blaspheme. They’re not always wrong. On this anniversary, let us redouble our efforts to support free speech, and to recognize and call out those forces who believe some words are too harmful to be spoken. [The Federalist] Read more
