Future of free speach?

Here's is something that I found shocking:

She may be better remembered as the revolutionary sex kitten of 1960s French cinema, but these days Brigitte Bardot is better known as a standard-bearer of the anti-immigrant wing of France's political spectrum. Bardot went on trial Tuesday charged with "inciting racial hatred," and in view of her four previous convictions on similar charges, prosecutors sought exceptionally stiff penalties of $22,000 and a two month suspended sentence.

The current charge against Bardot was lodged by the Movement Against Racism and for Friendship between Peoples (MRAP), citing a letter Bardot wrote to French officials in 2004 in which she alluded to Muslims as "this
population that leads us around by the nose, [and] which destroys our country." The former actress-turned-animal rights crusader had written that letter to protest the ritual slaughter of sheep during the Muslim festival of Eid-al-Kabir. Her missive, whose contents were later leaked to the media, had been sent to then-Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, whose rising popularity was based in part on his hard line on immigration and tough stand against troublesome youths from immigrant backgrounds.

time.com

In the U.S. our right to freedom of speech is protected by the Constitution.
Not just our right to speak inoffensively, that does not need protecting. Speech that is radical and confrontational is what the founding fathers had in mind when they ratified the first ammendment. They were the radicals of their day.

Political correctness with it's accusations of hate speech is stifling discussion.
Some problems have racial or ethnic dimensions which are legitimate issues.

How long before we have legislation in the U.S. that makes it a crime to say something that 'offends' someone?

I just read the article on the " France is being invaded by sheep-slaughtering Muslims ", that the actress Brigitte Bardot is being PC'D on.

I can't belive she can't speak her mind! I'm sure that most people agree with the famous actress. What a bunch of crap.

Hopefully more french folks will speak -up and back her on this fredom of thought and speech issue, that all people should have.

She has helped alot of animals and I'm sure she believes what she says, as alot of people do.

source www.reuters.com...

Free speech should be a right for all, but in the moden World, very little people have it. Even in your good old USA freedom of speech is easi;ly crushed. How? Throught the use of being Anti American. Your government has forced yous to be quite, most of the population in the states are scared to speak out. This in turn, would suggest thyat they got no real freedom of speech. FOS is a privilage to have, and with that privilage comes reponsability. To offend other using FOS as an excuss is just plane bull.

Freedom of Speech is a right that EVERYONE should have. Everyone should have the right to express themselves, and the right to speak out.
You shouldn't be "scared" into being quiet. That is unfair. ANd unfortunately Freedom of Speech IS becoming oppressed...(sp?).

America has free speech only because we fought a war over it. It wasn't given to us, we took it. European countries have a different tradition and culture. They also have funny laws about gun ownership and search and seizure.

Europe in general but France in particular had better wake up before they find themselves with a state religion none of Europeans want.

Originally posted by hinky
America has free speech only because we fought a war over it. It wasn't given to us, we took it. European countries have a different tradition and culture. They also have funny laws about gun ownership and search and seizure.

Europe in general but France in particular had better wake up before they find themselves with a state religion none of Europeans want.

As America has now! What you have fought wars for, has been taken from you. Look at the facts mate, America as a nation is more opressed now than it has been at anytime. Freedom of speech, tell me then, why is it that almost all youtube/google/yahoo videos that allow people to have freedom of speech removed if they say anything that the current US government do not want you to hear. Is that freedom of speech? Was it freedom of speech when soliders who did not want to fight in the current round of wars because they knew they where wrong, where told they would be jailed for speaking out? Where is their freedom of speecg. Given the fact that they are there in these countrys to defend America and what it stand for, freedom of speech. You could go on all night.

Also, Europe has gun control laws for a reason, look at the countries that don't. America, Iraq, Isreal and so forth, they are all #ed up! Europe is doing just fine thank you, and we would like to keep it that way.l Yes, Europe has it faults like every other body, however we are a young body that is growning and learning, but it is being done with respect and coy for each other. When people are allowed to own guns for fun, I will start to worry.