Shanti at Seeking Serenity has thrown out a few questions for debate, and one is: Do christian fundamentalist have the right to demand a apology from Bill Maher, or is that censorship of his freedom of speech?  Apparently Bill Maher (whose show used to be called “Politically INcorrect”) has stepped on quite a few toes the other week, and a bunch of folks believe he owes them an apology.

First: does anyone have the right to demand an apology without abridging someone else’s freedom of speech?  Absolutely!  Until you cross the line of libel/slander, inciting riots, and death threats, you can pretty much express your opinions to your heart’s content.  We Wiccans (especially we MILITARY Wiccans) demanded an apology from Bob Barr back in 1999 and we still demand an apology from him.  We also demanded an apology from then-Governor and presidential candidate George W. Bush in 2000 for agreeing with Bob Barr’s 1999 statements and actions.

Did we in any way censor or abridge either man’s freedom of speech?  Not at all!  In fact they have spent the last 8-9 years continuing to offend and insult us without impediment.  I’m sure someone demanding an apology from Bill Maher will have the same effect.

Back to Bill Maher: can Catholics and Christian fundamentalists demand an apology from him?  Sure, they can demand all they want … they’ll probably have as much success as we Wiccans have had (which has been NONE).  But it is still their First Amendment right (Freedom of Speech) to demand that apology, whether they are successful or not.

Posted on April 23rd, 2008 by Darwin
Filed under: politics