By placing discretion in the hands of an official to grant or deny a license, such a statute creates a threat of censorship that by its very existence chills free speech.
quote by Harry A. Blackmun
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Censorship always defeats it own purpose, for it creates in the end the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion.
quote by Henry Steele Commager
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Make no laws whatever concerning speech, and speech will be free; so soon as you make a declaration on paper that speech shall be free, you will have a hundred lawyers proving that "freedom does not mean abuse, nor liberty license"; and they will define and define freedom out of existence. Let the guarantee of free speech be in every man's determination to use it, and we shall have no need of paper declarations. On the other hand, so long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men.
quote by Voltairine de Cleyre
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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The fact is that censorship always defeats its own purpose, for it creates, in the end, the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion.
quote by Henry Steele Commager
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The US constitution's First Amendment rights only cover Americans, but I believe that in a democracy the competition of ideas and free speech should combat beliefs that it does not agree with - more speech and debate, not censorship.
quote by Joichi Ito
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The very word "secrecy" is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it. Even today, there is little value in opposing the threat of a closed society by imitating its arbitrary restrictions. Even today, there is little value in insuring the survival of our nation if our traditions do not survive with it. And there is very grave danger that an announced need for increased security will be seized upon by those anxious to expand its meaning to the very limits of official censorship and concealment. That I do not intend to permit to the extent that it is in my control. And no official of my Administration, whether his rank is high or low, civilian or military, should interpret my words here tonight as an excuse to censor the news, to stifle dissent, to cover up our mistakes or to withhold from the press and the public the facts they deserve to know.
quote by John F. Kennedy
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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If a university official's letter accusing a speaker of having a proclivity to commit speech crimes before she's given the speech - which then leads to Facebook postings demanding that Ann Coulter be hurt, a massive riot and a police-ordered cancellation of the speech - is not hate speech, then there is no such thing as hate speech.
quote by Ann Coulter
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Fundamental of Liar Chapter CXIII: Denial
Deny it with smile, deny it with silence
Deny it with elegance, deny it with distraction
Deny it with anger, deny it with challenge
Deny it with promise, deny it with comfort
Deny it with tear, deny it with emotion
Deny it with effort, deny it with cruelty
Deny it with forget, deny it with indifferent
Deny it with joke, deny it with lie
poem by Maria Sudibyo
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Creation Hath Worked Its Mastery
Creation hath worked its mastery
Into the existence we know as our own.
We are as the statue of David if he were
To claim his existence free from Michelangelo’s hand,
We are a work of perfection that has the ability to deny
Our creator, nature hath a power to paint a picture,
A picture born with the ability to deny its painter
Any right to claim its existence lay within the imagination
Of the artist.
True art takes upon a life of its own,
Its home within the heart of the observer,
Those un-reserved enough to allow the
Canvas marble to speak unto their Hearts.
poem by David Lacey
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Set Me Free
There aint no reason why you let me wait
Just give me up and I will go
Lets set it straight
Got a right to who I am
And if I dont fit your plan then set me free
But you refuse to set me free
And you deny me of my needs
You have me under lock and key
Just set me free just set me free
You never cared for what I had to say
Its just because you got to have it all your way
Well I aint no superman
If thats what you demand then set me free
Couldnt you please just set me free
You get your fun just hurting me
If this is how its going to be
Just set me free just set me free
Now I deserve to be as mad as hell because
I just dont get it
I place myself in your hands to fall
But Im not quitting (no)
Feels like the time we spent was going to waste
Sooner or later its goodbye were gonna say
cause you just dont give a damn
So go find some other man and set me free
Just dont refuse to set me free
You cant deny me of my needs
Just turn your head to hear my plea
Just set me free just set me free
Couldnt you please just set me free
You get your fun just hurting me
If this is how its going to be
Just set me free just set me free
song performed by by Utopia
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Now it would be as absurd to deny the existence of God, because we cannot see him, as it would be to deny the existence of the air or wind, because we cannot see it.
quote by Adam Clarke
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Tranquil Setting
My friend’s disposition grew intense
Towards the purloined thoughts,
As I reiterated my own speech
In favour of a tranquil notion.
My land of dreams is of this disposition,
Entering the supper and lunch.
The external sign carries principles
Too economic and political.
I am before my mind, placing there
A certain thought delivered,
For the tranquillity of my friend
Has entered the frame of existence.
poem by Naveed Akram
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Discretion in speech is more than eloquence.
quote by Francis Bacon
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Discretion in speech is more than eloquence.
quote by Francis Bacon
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Never Deny You
All the love that we shared
Could never just disapear
And all that we've been through,
I believe in you
III, will never deny you..
III, will never deny you..
III, will never deny you..
III, will never deny you..
friend said to me one day,
I should just forget you,
But my experiance say
What we have is true
Judases, they will betray you,
Thomases, they will doubt you,
Peters, they will deny you,
but iii will never deny you,
All the love that we shared
Could never just dissapear
And all that we've been through
I believe in you
(chorus)
(will never deny you) I wil never deny you
(never deny you) III, will never deny you (deny you)
song performed by by Ziggy Marley
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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On Paper. Not In Reality.
Don't be foolish.
Of course you are entitled to your opinion.
Aren't we living in a society,
That welcomes free speech?
'Yes...
But it seems to me that...'
Next! ?
'I thought you said we live in a society,
That welcomes free speech? '
On paper.
Not in reality.
I've 'earned' my free speech.
Haven't you noticed how I select my words?
Only 'then' are you free to do so as well.
Next?
I will take two more opinions,
And that will be it!
No...
Not yours.
The good looking one,
From the state of Connecticut!
May I have your opinion, please?
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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Discretion in speech is more important than eloquence.
Free Speech!
free speech....
as long as you comply,
as long as what you say
is profitable... for them...
as long as what you say
doesnt ruffle feathers...
as long as what you say
isnt the truth....
free speech....
in spite of, irregardless of,
because we must....
because if we dont,
it goes away!
free speech...
whatever the cost!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Our censorship has sort of gotten a little too far. Too much censorship is just as bad as having none at all. Children need to be exposed to things, because if they don't see it, eventually, it's not like it's not going to happen, but it's just that there needs to be a balance.
quote by Zoe Saldana
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I do not believe in censorship, but I believe we already have censorship in what is called marketing theory, namely the only information we get in mainstream media is for profit.
quote by Sam Sheppard
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Grant Us Peace, Father of Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael
Grant us peace,
that we may not oppress our neighbors
Grant us justice,
that we may not enslave our neighbors
Grant us sanity,
that we may not torture our neighbors
Grant us mercy,
that we may not murder our neighbors
Grant us conscience
that we may not expel our neighbors
Grant us love,
that we may hunger for truth
Grant us discernment
that we may know what is ours, and what is not
Grant us decency
that we may return what we stole
Grant us courage
that we may admit what we’ve done
Give us strength to atone.
Ask only
that we end our silence.