This is basically why bourgeois law is an ass. The first amendment to the US Constitution, which is widely heralded as the best protection of free speech anywhere on the planet is now officially a protection for politicians who lie during election campaigns.
I'm not sure this is exactly what the founding fathers had in mind, but it shows you just how far things are degenerating and at what speed.
The bourgoisie - the ruling class in a capitalist system - no longer has any use for free speech, it is in fact counter to their class interests - staying in control of the economy and politics.
Now pro-capital politicians can further cement their grip on power by blatantly lying during election campaigns, safe in the knowledge that they are merely acting in the American tradition of free speech. Bastards.
This piece from Editor & Publisher give chapter and verse on the recent High Court decision.
Monday, 8 October 2007
Free speech supports lying politicians
Labels:
bastards,
first amendment,
freedom of speech
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Communication and New Media: From Broadcast to Narrowcast, co-authored with Dr John Harrison 
4 comments:
As a journalist, I am somewhat disappointed that a journalism lecturer is so sneeringly dismissive of free speech and the First Amendment.
But then, debate over recent days at the journz Yahoo group suggests a lot of working journalists believe in neither free speech nor the public's right to know.
I wonder where they are learning that....
Another Dave, by any other name?
As a regular poster on New Zeal, what would you know about free speech?
I should have added I'm not sneering about free speech, it's a good thing.
Unfortunately the American courts don't think that it has anything to do with truth, at least as far as US politicians go.
Another way to look at it is that the courts have finally legitimised what we've known all along.
Free speech in the US is expensive.
Martin, you may want to go defend yourself over at Journz. This 'Evad' is smearing your reputation all over the show.
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