Should freedom of speech ever be limited?

[AztecInca]

Debate Topic: Should freedom of speech be limited in certain instances? Is there situations that demand censorship?

Pinowawa1 will be debating that freedom of speech should at times be limited while AtlantisRises will be debating that freedom of speech should not now or ever be limoted or reduced.

This is a 1v1 formal debate.

It will consist of an Introduction, 5 bodily posts and a conclusion from each participant. No Flaming, bad manners or profantities will be tolerated. Please make sure you quote ALL your sources!

Please be aware that:

There is a point deduction for debaters who fail to make a post within the 7 day time frame. The deductions will be 2 points for every day the participant fails to post after the 7 days.

This is to ensure that debates continue in a timely fashion. If for any reason you cannot post within the 7 days, please ensure that you let myself or Tiddlyjen know to avoid having the points taken off your debate.

If, however the participant does not then attempt to make a post for up to 2 weeks after the 7 day rule has started an immediate disqualification will occur.

Good luck!

[AtlantisRises]

Welcome Pinowawa and thankyou to AztecInca for opening the Debates…

In todays world there are many things we in first world countries such as Australia, USA and England take for granted, the ability to drink fresh water, or to be safe in our own homes are among those rights.

However it seems that the most important right of all, the right that is most important in any democracy and the right that is the first to be removed during a dictators tenure is that of Freedom of Speech.

I shall be debating that there is NO justification for the curtailing or limiting of freedom of speech, I will describe some of the horrors that have arisen throughout the non-free world as a result of a lack of freedom to speak and I will look at several historical moments when a reasonable voice might have saved much pain, death and heartache were it not that all people feared to speak up.

I will tell of the various international laws that are designed to protect free speech and are more often then not ignored.

Lastly I will look at the curtails placed on freespeech in the very societies that are alleged to promote it, societies such as the USA and Australia who today are attempting to limit and destroy freedom of speech in an attempt to fight terrorism. I will argue that the destruction of freedom of speech would result in as major victory for fundamentalists whose goals include the destruction of the western way of life.

Freedom of speech is defined by wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech) as the right to speak freely without censorship, however I feel that it is necessary to extend that definition and say that Freedom of Speech is the Ability to speak freely without fear of punishment, reprisals and other such evils.

It should also be noted that Freedom of Speech is a very narrow ideal and that the concept of Freedom of Expression may be preferred since the right is not confined to Verbal Communication.

Anyway Regards

AtlantisRises

Ps best of luck to Pinowawa and any other debaters in the coming tournament