[MD] Limits of freedom: a lesson on moral misunderstanding

[MarshaV]

At 06:58 AM 7/22/2007, you wrote:
>Quoting MarshaV <marshalz at charter.net>:
>
> > At 05:29 PM 7/21/2007, Platt wrote:
> >
> > >No. The citizens of communist China have limited freedom compared to
> > >citizens of the U.K.
> >
> > Platt,
> >
> > How do you know this?  Are you a citizen of communist China?  Have
> > you even been to China?
>
>Hi Marsha,
>
>No, I am not a citizen of communist China and I have never been there. But I
>have read about citizens of China being arrested for criticizing 
>their government.
>They do not enjoy the protections of free speech that citizens of the U.S. and
>U.K enjoy. Do you have reason to doubt this?

Platt,

How do you know this?  Have you spoken to many Chinese 
citizens?  Have you read any books about China?  Are you talking 
about China today, or China 10 years ago?  -   May U.S. citizen say 
ANYTHING they please?  Are there no restraints?  May a young boy hold 
up a sign stating BONG HITS 4 JESUS?  Free speech???   If you were a 
Arab-American could you say ANYTHING?  Your opinions are too general 
to be meaningful.  If you want to peacefully protest a WTO meeting, 
can you be sure the police won't shoot tear-gas at you?

May there be static filters that distort YOUR evaluation, since your 
understanding doesn't seem to be based on actual experience?  Where 
have your opinions come from?    Originally you wrote of 'freedom', 
not 'freedom of speech'.


> > What is your definition of freedom?
>
>Restraint from power of another.

Who has such restraints from power of another?    My definition of 
freedom is as Gav wrote, 'to be in the present is to be free of the 
ego'.  Freedom is the dynamic now, not socialized static 
opinion.   ARE YOU FREE?

Marsha