an article on freedom

9 things about freedom- by Nora Ephron (from Feb. 2002)

(Jamie's disclaimer: if you plan on reading this, read the whole thing or you'll miss the point)

*Most people think they believe in freedom of speech, but they don't, really. What they believe is that freedom of speech is great as long as what's being said is something they happen to agree with.

*In Afghanistan under Taliban, women were not permitted to laugh.

*Barbara Lee was the only member of Congress to vote against authorizing the use of military force in Afghanistan. For this she received a number of death threats, was called a communist, and subsequently found herself saying things like "I'm just as American and just as patriotic as anybody else." I don't really have a position on the use of military force in Afghanistan, and I'm hoping the war will be over soon and I won't have to get one; but I want to salute Ms. Lee for reminding us how zealous we have to be about protecting the right to freedom of speech in times of crisis.

*Of course, the First Amendment doesn't truely provide for freedom of speech. What it provides is that Congress shall do nothing to abridge freedom of speech. This is one of those technicalities that are always pointed out by those certifiably crazy journalists who yell at each other on Washington talk shows.

*When I watch those certifiably crazy journalists yell at each other on Washington talk shows, I sometimes find myself wondering whether I truely believe in freedom of speech.

*To be perfectly honest about it, I have never liked the song "God Bless America" and I'm sorry to see that we're now stuck with it, probably forever, even at baseball games. All this "God" stuff makes me nervous.

*When I was young and my parents objected to something I said, I always replied, "It's a free country." When my children were young and I objected to something they said, they always replied, "It's a free country."

*It's a free country.

*Thank God.