Free thought -a universal fear ?

Right after commending your editorial " Hate in Wyoming " for

    not recommending more gay-rights legislation, I read and reflected

    on Geoffrey Wheatcroft's article on the same op-ed page : " Let

    a demogague ( France's Jean Marie Le Pen ) stew in his own juice ".

          The other day , I recall, you had an editorial commenting

    on the plight of the Iranian author of " The Satanic Verses "-

    still with a price on his head !

         And I also read recently about the Pope being upset about

    a Communist Portuguese writer winning this year's Nobel Prize

    for literature .

           I was warned years ago in book written by the late Erich

    From, " Escape from Freedom ", that the world is not as attached

    to democratic principles as many naive liberals would like to

    think. My own personal experience is that very many quite

    well educated and civilized individuals are nearly terrified by

    FREE THOUGHT.

            I am astonished, nevertheless, that  in Germany today

    there are laws against " Holocaust denial " or " minimizing

    the crimes of the Third Reich ". This Le Penn character is now

    in trouble for hissing at what has become " sacred truth ".

              Do you think such a ridiculous crime is impossible

    in the United States because of our beloved First Amendment ?

    Think twice !

            Everywhere I sense a desire simply to silence one's

    political or intellectual opponents . Have we lost our

    faith in REASON - one of the gods of the now maligned French

    Revolution ?

         The last year of the twentieth century might be title

    " The Growing Darkness " in future history books - if any

    progressive minds are left to write history books !