A truly Orwellian paradox

I am presently staring at today's Providence Journal front page -pondering a truly Orwellian paradox: "After attacks, crackdown on hate speech" (Jan.15)

And it seems that pure HATE can be combated by the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, on its way to terrorize not the fanatical few but the religious many in an Islamic country. But just days ago there was a multitude of people in Paris crying out that free speech is ABSOLUTE.

 

But the good Pope Francis disagrees. Don't insult MY mother! Well I am certainly not holier than the Pope. But I would dismiss any insult to my dear departed mother as being simply uninformed. At least I thought she was a peach.

Does he also mean: "Don't insult Holy Mother Church"? In the good old days there was the not so Holy Inquisition. But the Church has finally repented  of this extravagant solicitude for the Faith. As the late radical professor Howard Zinn said, this FREE SPEECH is very enigmatic in the most democratic countries on earth.

To: letters@providencejournal.com

But Charlie Hebdo was indeed Islamophobic trash, John

Link to Charlie Hebdo Magazine

John, I did do a background check on this cynical and nihilistic Charlie Hebdo magazine group in France. They did not belong to any great journalistic tradition, falling below American junk news tabloids in standards of accuracy and decency.

One comment rings true for this socialist- not interested in maliciously offending one fourth of the human population: "Charlie Hebdo wrote and drew about many issues but lost many readers over recent years because of its Islamophobia and racist content."

All the socialists with whom I associate completely reject terrorism as a sane political strategy. But we won't idealize these hateful New Atheist types, on the left or on the right.

And a lot of phony cant phrases in that huge demonstration in Paris. "Free Speech?" As American historian Howard Zinn points out in his "People's History of the United States," capitalist ownership of the news media tends to smother the free speech of ordinary people and nearly all third parties. I should know. I was a presidential elector for the Socialist Workers Party here in Rhode Island in 1980 and 1976. And a presidential elector for the American Communist Party way back in 1972.

Red Eye Radio is always unmasking sinister socialist plots-hatched even in the White House! But they never let any socialists speak for themselves.

Ron Ruggieri, Cranston

To: John DePetro <john@630wpro.com>

Obama right to snub mass hysteria Islamophobia

 As a socialist I can only encourage mass action in the streets in defense of democratic values. But beware cant phrases like "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: And "Free World." Can't we at least make our world safe for our ONE PERCENT plutocracy?

Forget about Equality and Fraternity. Not long ago our very patriotic Cold War fanatics wanted to end Godless Communism with a nuclear bang. I just heard right-wing Red Eye Radio here in Rhode Island ( 630wpro.com ) suggest the same thing for quickly ending the scourge of international terrorism. "Obama is weak!" they rant.

President Obama is wise to snub mass hysteria Islamo-phobia – in France or here in the United States. Cant phrases start wars- as in the Great War, the war to make the world "safe for democracy... the war to end all wars."

Would Ayn Rand ask you to die for bourgeois Free Speech? That is not in keeping with the "Virtue of Selfishness." And it is so cozy in your Wall Street office. $$$ is the business of America. Let working class suckers fight your wars!

( Comment  on Houston Chronicle article: "White House: U.S. should have sent other officials to Paris",  Jan 12, 2015 )