Thursday, January 26, 2012

Freedom's Proxy

The Press Freedom Index is out. Not a perfect proxy for freedom and the ideals of The Enlightenment, but close.


It is a very good snapshot of the condition of most of the people on our little planet. They do not even come close to the freedom we enjoy here - freedom to create your "creative friction" as you wish.

The sad part is that if you had a "Freedom of Speech Index," the areas of green would be even smaller - as our friends in Canada, where you can go on trail for speaking the "wrong thoughts" ISYN - and much of Europe would move from green to yellow - and quite a few yellow to red elsewhere.

Read the report here if you have the time, and appreciate that even with all our challenges - in the USA we do have something of great value in abundance that few in the world do - freedom.

16 comments:

prschoef said...

Denial of the Holicaust gets you arrested in some Western countries (Germany,France?)

LazyChop said...

Germany also has some very specific restrictions on what you can write about regarding WWII, if I recall correctly. Some of their other censorship laws would also shut down pretty much every political blog and website if the same principles applied in the U.S.

James said...

How the hell isnt Mexico red? You cant write anything without having you and your families heads cut off.

LT Rusty said...

Ah, but it's not the government that's doing it.  If your community is doing it, then it's simply a native cultural activity, and one that should not be questioned by the Imperialist Capitalist Pig-Dog Norteamericanos.

Surfcaster said...

47th? Really? So if the Communists had not excercised their rights of freedom and gone violent, we might have been stable at 20 like the year before, eh?


Ohhh, the IRONY.

UltimaRatioRegis said...

Especially that misogynist white supremacist (according to Rubber Ducky) blogger Frigattenkapitan Wilhelm Friedrich Horst von Salamander. 

Surfcaster said...

Denial of the Holocaust gets you elected President in others.

cdrsalamander said...

You forgot to put in Freiherr. It is Frigattenkapitan Wilhelm Friedrich Horst Freiherr von Salamander. You always forget the Freiherr. 

Papist, Polish, peasant rabble; they never remember their place and respect for their betters ....

UltimaRatioRegis said...

HAHAHAHAHA!  Believe it or not, I had it in there, and then thought "too much" and took it out.  Freiherr it is! 

UltimaRatioRegis said...

And the other side of the family is Papist Bavarian rabble.  :)

UltimaRatioRegis said...

And it gets you the moniker of "Reverend" in still others.

UltimaRatioRegis said...

By the way, Papist rabble I may be, I am writing a post poolside in the sunshine of San Diego surrounded by delectible women in bathing suits.  And no, I am not imagining it.  I already pinched myself.... 8-)

Kristen said...

That is one sad map.  I have a cousin who went off to rural China to teach English for a couple of years after college.  Her parents were terrified that they'd never see her again.  She made it back all right, but while she was there the little Catholic church that she was attending was torn down by soldiers, and the priest was dragged away, never to be seen again.  It's not just political prisoners.  A lot of martyrs have had their robes washed clean in the blood of the Lamb in those red-colored countries.

cdrsalamander said...

Greeeeaaaaatttt.  Now I have a visual of you all slathered up next to a pool wearing a EuroBannanaHammock pinching yourself.

Niiiccccceeee. Bleh.

UltimaRatioRegis said...

Are you kidding?  Loose-fitting gym shorts.  I wouldn't even wanna see what you described!

cdrsalamander said...

BTW - I'm tweeting the debate with an open bar.  Hic ... hic ...