
Sheriff threatened to jail teen's family for posts about coronavirus - everybodyknows
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/wisconsin/2020/04/16/coronavirus-wisconsin-sheriff-threatened-jail-over-instagram-post/5145087002/
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ptrenko
There has never been a time when I've expressed an opinion in my name and not
regretted it later. Stay offline or anonymous. More importantly, stay clean

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a3n
If you, as you, never exercise free speech, then how do you know whether or
not you have it?

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ptrenko
Why do people care about free speech so much?

When things get really bad, smart people simply pack their bags and leave.

Politics is unpredictable and there's no time to waste arguing for free
speech.

People have no idea why free speech is useful.

They just want free speech.

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a3n
Free speech is required for people in a democracy to question their
government, hold it accountable, and redirect it.

It's required for the free practice of science, religion and commerce, and
anything else citizens might put their mind to.

If a government can suppress free speech and punish people for it, then we
can't control our government.

That's the democratic argument. But more generally, unless I'm speaking to the
government or committing an _actual_ crime, it's none of their fucking
business what I say or who I say it to. Governments are, or should be, formed
to serve people, not the other way around.

If smart people pack their bags and leave, where are they going to go? To
another country that may fall into despotism? At some point people have to
make a stand. Free speech makes that stand less bloody.

