“So what is it about the President’s free speech talk that you don’t understand, Glimpse?’
“I understand what he said. He said that Americans had the right to make even ‘a crude and disgusting video’ like the one that caused the recent outbreaks of violence in the Arab world. And I heard him say that, ‘As president of our country and commander in chief of our military, I accept that people are going to call me awful things every day. And I will defend their right to do so.’”
“Well?”
“ I have trouble with the notion that under the guise of free speech Americans can deliberately make videos ,or cartoons, or movies, or whatever that they know will set off riots in the Arab world.”
“Oh! You’re opposed to free speech. Ever heard of the First Amendment, Jerk?”
“Of course I have. I can even recite it for you:
“ ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.’”
“There you go, Glimpse. Impressive.“
“Yeah. My problem is that I question whether it’s a good idea to allow people in America to issue smarmy insults of Islam if they know their actions will damage U.S. interests, possibly cause American deaths, and play into the hands of our self-proclaimed enemies.”
“Come on. You’re comparing such material to aiding and abetting the enemy? OMG what a huge stretch.”
‘”Not huge. Remember, free speech has never been absolute. You can’t legally say anything you want under all conditions. You can’t tell harmful lies about people. You can’t yell “fire” in a crowded theater for fun.
“And under the Espionage Act, it is a criminal offense “when the United States is at war” to “willfully make or convey false reports or false statements with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military…or to promote the success of its enemies….”
“The Espionage Act doesn’t apply.”
“But should it? We’re at war. At least that’s what the government calls that dreadful affair in Afghanistan. We’re said to be at war with al-Qaeda and other terrorists. And it seems that movies or writings that deliberately provoke the volatile masses in the Arab world may ”promotes the success of our enemies,” Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and other Jihadists. Among other things, such malicious images and writings arouse hatred, aid recruitment efforts of terrorist groups, and give legitimacy to our enemies’ anti-American activities. “
“Humpf. Fly that idea around and watch it molt.”
“Probably. But if the scurrilous, riot-generating, anti-Islam videos, movies, and publications continue and increase, I’ll bet their authors will see our counter intelligence folks rummaging for ways to stop them or at least prosecute them.”
“Glimpse, you’re on a limb. What has counter intelligence to do with this stuff? We’re talking about free speech.”
“Think about it. If this ‘stuff’ were arranged by Iranian agents, say, we well might call it subversion.”
“Now you're a conspiracy theorist?”
“Subversion can be defined as an effort to disrupt society and its power, authority, and hierarchical structures. It aims to undermine the enemy’s government and loyalties in some way. It is a cheap, subtle, mostly risk-free warfare tool—Cool it. stop fidgeting, and:
“Consider Egypt. The United States needs or wants revolutionary Egypt as an ally. Iran needs or wants Egypt to oppose us. If it appears, through flag burnings, protests, and riots, that Egypt’s citizens hate the U.S., the popular mood could make Egypt’s leaders leery of engaging with us. That works against our interest and in favor of Iran’s
“Given that, savvy Iranian intelligence officials might find it convenient to use its operatives in the United States to find and fund fringe types who would produce materials guaranteed to incite Egyptians to vent hatred of the United States.”
“Don’t know, Glimpse, if that’s even an interesting theory.”
“It interests me. And as Sherlock Homes reportedly said, what’s not impossible is worth considering.”
-----Gus Gribbin
No comments:
Post a Comment