Irreverent, Annoying, Irksome, Badgering, Outrageous, Embarrassing
… media criticism as a Classical Value.
I was listening to something about John Adams on public radio as I drove south from Boston last night, passing close by the Adams manse as I listened. Great, uncompromising man of principle, drew fire for successfully defending the British soldiers in the Boston Massacre, yet was one of the earliest and firmest voices for independence from Great Britain.
Sidelined in history as a president, however, after a miserable single term in which he and his fellow Federalists in Congress enacted the Sedition Act, and began jailing newspaper editors who backed his political rival, Thomas Jefferson.
Because abusing legal processes to stifle criticism in a free society is wrong. Criticism of the powers that be, in America, is a classical value.
Imagine if George Bush tried to trample on people’s rights like that. Never mind, others imagine it so you don’t have to.
Snapped Shot is still wacking the AP, by the way. Just not so graphically.
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 11:43 am on Monday, March 10, 2008
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