Very much love the mix...

I started out here about 2 years ago, as a resource for lyrics for songs at the renaissance faire that I work at but couldn't understand (dang wind messes up the acoustics... or maybe it was that 14th beer...). I didn't even look at the threads until about 8 months or so ago, but was almost immediately hooked.

It saddens me to know that we lose valuable members of our community over this issue, as I heartily support the right not to read (or watch, listen to, whatever) over censorship in no uncertain terms.

(This is where I disagree with Margarita). As far as I'm concerned, the only valid place for censorship is where lives are immediately endangered ('fire' in a theatre, reports of troop movements during war, whatever). Having been in the military and having been censored on occasion, it always amazes me how quickly and disastrously censorship has ALWAYS spiralled out of hand. While serving in our gulf, I had letters censored (and was reprimanded) for informing my family that I had a cold, that I would like my walkman mailed to me as there weren't any decent ones to be had, and for some unknown reason they censored my request to my mother for some of her chocolate-oatmeal cookies (!?!). There were more examples, but these were the strangest.

The only kind of censorship that has a place in my world view is the censorship of self. I view it as one of the basic precepts that Democracy is based on... It mentions in the USA's founding paperwork (filed in triplicate somewhere, no doubt) that the country relies on an "enlightened electorate" for decisions in votes. Sadly, through a bizzare twist over the years, the 'enlightened electorate' are becoming the 'enlightened few'. The last thing that this country needs is for censorship to take away even more of the meager information that is needed.

We live in a time of power. We (all of us) can easily acquire within a very short time the ability to destroy ourselves and quite a bit of those around us. The quote reads 'With great power comes great responsibility', and I believe in this wholeheartedly. Rather than restrict someone's right to know something or view something, it would be a much better world if we could enforce their responsibility to know the consequences and real effects of their actions. By way of example, given no other choices, would you rather be given a gun with a clear understanding of how to operate it along with the consequences of your use of it, or would you rather just be handed a gun and be told that you were not allowed to know how it operated?

Sorry... freedom of speech is a sore point with me. I'll shut up now.

M