There are always limits to free speech. Some are well-known, like the undesirability of shouting "Fire!" in a crowded theater, and some are not, like the rampant censorship that goes on in the United States that forbids, for example, import of written material from certain countries, such as Cuba, or the dissemination of calls to action that are themselves against the law. For example, I believe that the government has an interest in shutting web sites that post the names and addresses of Ob-Gyn physicians who perform abortions in order that interested parties may assassinate them more easily.

Political correctness is another issue. For the most part, it's "voluntary." In other words, there's no legal principle at stake, only the tendency of people to behave like sheep. One thing that should be recognized, however, is that it cuts both ways. Conservatives like to portray political correctness as a progressive thing, but they make use of it all the time. The worst example was the 2002 vote in Congress to authorize the president to attack Iraq. Political feeling, in the wake of 9-11, was running strongly in favor of allowing the president unparalleled latitude in attacking foreign nations, and at the time it was considered near-political suicide to go against that. So politicians, being inherently cowards, felt compelled to vote for the authorization. There were a few in both houses who had sufficient grit to stand on principle, but as we all know, there weren't enough. One thing I was proud of was that all three of my representatives voted against it. But it definitely wasn't "politically correct."

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