Quotation of the Day for July 18, 2012
"The danger of the government deciding what is true and not true, real and unreal, should be obvious. For example, some might say that a belief in God or in a particular religion, for example, or in the "Book of Revelations"8 is not supported by demonstrable facts. Books that repeat the predictions of Nostradamus and the daily newspaper horoscope could be banned under the City's reasoning.
"If there is to be progress for mankind, men and women must be allowed to dream, imagine, and be visionaries for the future even if there are then no "demonstrable facts" to support their fantasies. And they should be able to share their dreams, imaginations and visions with others free of government interference. While some of those who sometimes predict the future can be said to base their prognostications on education, training and experience-doctors and insurance companies estimating how long someone might live, auto mechanics opining as to how long your brakes will last, even lawyers predicting a jury's likely verdict-there should be no government prohibition of those with fewer facts, gazing into the future and voicing their beliefs as well. To apply the ordinance literally would outlaw every "amateur psychiatrist, parlor sage and barstool philosopher" in Alexandria who dares to suggest to another what the future may hold.
"My use of allegory and analogy is intended to demonstrate why we cannot afford to allow government to squelch free thought and speech without a compelling interest, and why even a fortune-teller's speech must be protected. For a government to believe that it knows all that is true and real, no matter how obvious it thinks it is, is arrogance, pure and simple. Our Constitution protects us from such government oppression."
- James D. Kirk, Magistrate Judge, Report and Recommendation in Rachel J. Adams v. City of Alexandria. [Quoted at http://www.popehat.com/2012/07/17/you-knew-i-was-going-to-write-about-this/]
Submitted by: Chris Doherty
Jul. 17, 2012
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