> Date:          Sat, 13 Jan 1996 19:54:39 +0000
> To:            online-news@marketplace.com
> From:          steve@webmedia.com (Steve Bowbrick)
> Subject:       Re: Free speech debate...with a twist

> >> From:          MCONEWS@aol.com
> >> Date:          Fri, 12 Jan 1996 10:54:37 -0500
> >> To:            online-news@marketplace.com
> >> Subject:       Free speech debate...with a twist
> >
> >Mr. Wolffe,
> >
> >You're statements seem to prove the saying that "those who forget the
> >past. are condemned to relive it.
> 
> I'm the one who made the 'dumb and dumber' quip so I should respond here. I
> live in England, not the US, though we too have Nazis resurgant.

Hitler's Mein Kampf is a "must read" in most of the Arab countries. 
It was part of the indoctrinal material for the PLO for many years. 
Copies in Arabic were found on Egyptian POW's as late as the The 
October War of 1974.
> 
> Your post was heart-felt and true too. This issue is borderline for
> online-news so I won't say too much (we could take it off-list).

I thought we might wait until it gets too long. However, if you wish, 
I would be happy to.
> 
> I'm reminded of Hannah Arendt, who showed us what she called 'the banality
> of evil' in her writings on the Nuremberg trials. She at once disarmed her
> subjects and illustrated potently how  ordinary men became monsters.
> Laughing at Nazis is not the same as laughing at their acts and, I would
> argue, it is vital that we retain the capacity to laugh (a lot and to their
> faces) at the absurdities and twisted logic of these dunces.
> 
> I would also point out that it is still quite possible to obtain Mein Kampf
> here in the UK (but not in Germany, I understand) and, I imagine, in the US
> too and that it is important that it remain available - otherwise we'll
> never approach an understanding of Hitler's pathology.

Unfortunately, some Israeli writer (unknown), translated it into 
Hebrew. However, I haven't seen it on the shelves in any of the 
bookstores here.

As for Hitler's pathology, what is known and available by experts 
should give us a clear view of the depths of human depravity. 

More important , as you have pointed out, is the resurgence of 
Naziism in Europe. This indicates that we have not learned from the 
past, especially the undeniable fact that it all started with "words" 
unrestricted free-speech means unrestrained free-speech. For Human 
nature to be THAT free is dangerous. 

As I have pointed out to another individual, today there is a larger 
audience for such words of hate and bigotry than that which existed 
in 1939. Ask those members of your family who are old enough to 
remember those dark days whether such a scale of racism and hatred 
existed in 1939. Did "Lord Haw-Haw and the National Fronters have 
such a following in Great Britain? The answer will probably be no.

One of the reasons for the increase in racist incidents is the 
technological advances in the print media (internet included) have 
coupled with the unrestricted Freedom of speech, to create one of the 
largest audiences for hate and racism, the world has ever seen.

Israel has just become the simplest evidence that words have 
consequences. Israel is now in the process of realizing and dealing 
with something the world should have learned long ago, the need to 
restrict freedom of speech in such a way that people will treat the 
written and spoken word with more respect.

The Christian Testament teaches that "the word is a two-edged sword."
Judaism teaches a concept of  "Lashon Harah" (The Evil Tongue). 
Meaning proper and improper speech when relating to your fellow man.

The world is still not civilized enough to admit that what one says 
or writes may have an adverse effect upon the world. That if these 
words are echoed often enough they can cause harm to others, whether 
the originator of these words meant to or not.

Human nature does not allow for the capacity to admit responsibility 
for our words, especially if they yield tragic results. Thus 
legislation is needed to force us to confront this responsibility.

Thus I am in favor of some degree of censorship in the media, and 
especially when it comes to racism and hatred on internet.

It's about time man took something he created and turned it into 
something beneficial for his world. We split the atom and created the 
atom bomb, we find cures for diseases, then take the diseases and 
create germ warfare.

We have finally created a force for good, internet, which should 
become the highway for peace, and we make it the road to perdition 
and armaggeddon.

Best regards,
Stuart 
> 
> Steve
> 
> --
> Steve "Steve" Bowbrick, Webmedia                       steve@webmedia.com
> direct line +44 171 317 1301                             +44 171 224 7244
> 
>                     "it's turtles all the way down..."
> 
> 
> 
> 
                

**********************************************************              
              THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE REPORT

A 'net' news service devoted to the Middle East Peace 
Process and dedicated to the Vision and Legacy of Yitzhak 
Rabin.
It is open to the public and moderated by Stuart E. Hersh.
SUBSCRIBE through email to elliot@actcom.co.il or 
rabin@ccxbbs.uunet.ve
Copyright, 1996 Stuart E. Hersh - All material in the 
MIDDLE EAST PEACE REPORT is for private/personal use only
and may not be copied or otherwise duplicated and/or 
reproduced in any form nor for any purposes, 
except in quoting for use in reader responses to the 
MIDDLE EAST PEACE REPORT, without the express permission 
of the copright owner.
Address all inquiries to: THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE REPORT
c/o Stuart E. Hersh, email: elliot@actcom.co.il.



**********************************************************

__________________________________________________________

                THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE REPORT
                            STAFF
                          
Stuart E. Hersh - Publisher/Middle East Bureau Chief (Jerusalem)
Renay E. Hersh - Manager/Deputy Middle East Bureau Chief (Jerusalem)
Mr. S. Sueillam - Arab Affairs Correspondent (London)
Robert Rosenberg - Operations Manager/Editor-In-Chief (Tel-Aviv)
Roy Carson - Operations Manager/Editor-in-Chief (Venezuela)
Robert Cooke - SYSOP Manager - (Venezuela)

___________________________________________________________





------------------------------

End of online-news-digest V1 #471
*********************************


From owner-online-news-digest@marketplace.com Sun Jan 14 21:25:00 1996
Received: from marketplace.com (majordom@marketplace.com [199.45.128.10]) by cnj.digex.net (8.6.12/8.6.12) with ESMTP id VAA11782 ; for ; Sun, 14 Jan 1996 21:24:56 -0500