LTE published in The Economist

[Joss Delage 0]

We just received our copy, and my letter is published! This is what they published:

"SIR – You explained the causation of events in Libya as follows: “One misguided extremist in America made the video, and another lot of misguided extremists in the Arab world picked on it.” That suggests the producers of the anti-Islam video are on the same moral footing as the mob that attacked the embassy. They are not. The people behind the video were perhaps moronic bigots. But the people who attacked the embassy were barbarous murderers.

Free speech, by definition, protects the right to say stupid or offensive things.

Joss Delage

Seattle"

This is the version I sent:

"Sir - In your article titled "Murder in Libya", you say "One misguided

extremist in America made the video, and another lot of misguided

extremists in the Arab world picked on it".

This draws an equivalency between the authors of the video and the mob

that attacked the embassy. There should be none. On one hand the

authors of the video were probably moronic bigots. On the other, the

people who attacked the embassy were barbarous murderers.

Free speech, by definition, protects the right to say stupid or

offensive things. The US should take advantage of this event to

iterate on this key point."

[Betsy Speicher 0]

I liked you letter, Joss. It make an important distinctions simply and clearly.

[darnoconrad 0]

Well done. I think the edit still left it intact and to nitpick, I agree with cutting out the last sentence "The US should take advantage of this event to iterate on this key point." Because it doesn't make clear that American citizens should take advantage of this event to loudly and proudly defend free speech, and to defend the proper role of government in such situations. However, I'm sure that's not why they cut it out.

I wish that all news casts would take 10 seconds to broadcast something offensive, in any form, to reinforce what free speech means, and that Americans will defend it, unmoved by its opposition.

[JohnRgt 0]

Congratulations, Joss!