Well, Dick, I have to say that I don't think MBSGeorge has been given a fair chance to speak.

And in fairness, I have to agree that "free speech" ain't all what it's cracked up to be in the US, either - even among liberals. The US "political correctness" movement, with its constantly-changing list of unacceptable speech, can be a real damper on free discussion. Why can't people argue with my ideas, and not with the words I choose to express them? For example: I can't talk about disabled people because I can't keep up with the list of appropriate terminology - is "disabled" a bad word nowadays? I can't say "[whatever]-challenged" without gagging. That probably means that I am "euphemism-challenged," and I should be compensated somehow for my disability.
-Joe-