Pls help me in our debate.. just give some points. thanks =)
2007-03-16 08:10:36 · 8 answers · asked by Alyssa 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
Into your favorite search engine, type "Constitution of the United States of America" -- then read the First Amendment. (Also read the Preamble.)
You'll see that the US government is prohibited from controlling speech and writing (and other forms of communication).
The reason for this is, well, it's just wrong to do so, and, if the government can prevent people from speaking freely, then it can get away with any sort of horror.
People need to be able to say they don't like the government doing this or that thing, and trying to stop it from doing wrong, or hurting the citizens of the country.
It's supposed to act as a check on the government.
And the idea is, if there's a "free market of ideas" -- people can say whatever they believe, and others can listen to all ideas -- that the best ideas will float to the top, as it were.
We'll have a greater pool of ideas to guide our decisions, and those ideas will have been scrutinized by others, so the bad ones can be rejected, and the good ones prevail.
That's the idea, anyway.
Basically, the government has only those powers granted to it in the Constitution -- the Preamble of which (which sets out the purposes of the government) include securing "the blessings of liberty" on into the future.
2007-03-16 09:16:38 · answer #1 · answered by tehabwa 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because it is censorship which reduces our freedom to get information.
Next it would be books, newspapers and other media. The government would TELL us what we COULD and could not read.
That's what happened in Nazi Germany, the USSR, is happening now in China and other communists countries.
Our Constitution provides for freedom of speech, freedom of the press. The internet is just the "press" in a different form.
2007-03-16 10:36:36 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Anytime the government begins "regulating" information, they are picking and chosing what citizens should see and hear - not good. Hitler controlled the media and newspapers in Germany - and eventually the people.
2007-03-16 08:15:22 · answer #3 · answered by Terrie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In the US, because the 1st Amendment protects almost all types of communication, with a few specific exceptions.
Also, because given current technology, it is extreme difficult to monitor and filter all internet traffic, without either drastically increasing the cost of the system (to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars per year), or drastically slowing everything down.
2007-03-16 08:15:37 · answer #4 · answered by coragryph 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because we do not live in China
Free media is a hallmark of a free society
It is tantamount ot freedom of the press and freedom of speech. In other words, it is protected by the First Amendment.
2007-03-16 08:15:14 · answer #5 · answered by jimvalentinojr 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Freedom of speech baby!
Besides, regulation of content is the parents job.
2007-03-16 08:31:35 · answer #6 · answered by Amy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the 1st Ammendment for one. As long as the info is not classified or sensative towards national security.
2007-03-16 08:18:06 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because we need to smash the state, and the internet is a great way to get the word out and coordinate with other revolutionaries.
2007-03-16 08:20:42 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋