He is always the severest censor of the merit of others…

Another type of post I can do without fear of straining my sick self is the Hump Of Hate post.

Today’s target is Congressman Spencer Bachus from–surprise!–Alabama who has decided to continue the government program of censoring Bill Maher.

A congressman says comedian Bill Maher’s comment that the U.S. military has already recruited all the “low-lying fruit” is possibly treasonous and at least grounds to cancel the show.

What did Bill actually say?

Maher points out the Army missed its recruiting goal by 42 percent in April.

“More people joined the Michael Jackson fan club,” Maher said. “We’ve done picked all the low-lying Lynndie England fruit, and now we need warm bodies.”

Sounds like a not unfair comment to me–certainly there is nothing for the armed forces to be proud of in the various prisoner treatment scandals both uncovered and ongoing.

The Congressman, however, sees it differently:

“I think it borders on treason,” Bachus said. “In treason, one definition is to undermine the effort or national security of our country.”

You know that’s dangerously close to saying that speaking out against the government in any way is treason. Of course Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld, at least, have all made similar statements.

So much for free speech.

Of course, as I said, I’m too sick to rant, so I’ll let some others do it for me:

“He is always the severest censor of the merit of others who has the least worth of his own.” — Elias Lyman Maggon

“The only freedom which counts is the freedom to do what some other people think to be wrong. There is no point in demanding freedom to do that which all will applaud. All the so-called liberties or rights are things which have to be asserted against others who claim that if such things are to be allowed their own rights are infringed or their own liberties threatened. This is always true, even when we speak of the freedom to worship, of the right of free speech or association, or of public assembly. If we are to allow freedoms at all there will constantly be complaints that either the liberty itself or the way in which it is exercised is being abused, and, if it is a genuine freedom, these complaints will often be justified. There is no way of having a free society in which there is not abuse. Abuse is the very hallmark of liberty.” — Former Lord Chief Justice Halisham

“When the people fear the government, you have tyranny. When the government fears the people, you have freedom.” – Thomas Paine

“The best society, the best human existence, arrives when humans most closely determine the truth, and act on the truth, and separate it from superstition, falsity, or misinformation. And there is no better system for determining the truth than free speech: Testing the validity of an idea in the waters of public discussion and debate.” —Dave Rodgers

“In America, through pressure of conformity, there is freedom of choice, but nothing to choose from.” —Peter Ustinov

“If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all.” — Noam Chomsky