On 4/18/18 I attended a conversation on free speech given at the Cato Institute in Washington, DC between Jacob Mchangama representing the European expert on the topic and Professor Miller, the American viewpoint. I talked with Chuck at Mariam's Kitchen pertaining to some points made; and I've included others, too, in the below.
From the European standpoint, free speech must be protected as a fundamental source of the manifold kinds of freedoms and as a bastion against violence and oppression from groups fostering hatred toward ones they would oppress. The various governments of the EU must maintain a vigilance against the rise of demonstrations and proliferation of incentiary literature condemning the actions and philosophic principles decried by tyrannical groups against their antithetical and ideological foes. It was noted during the discussion there is a marked erosion of free speech (probably due to each country's homogeneous population).
The issue of the regulation of free speech raises whether those responsible for creating the social unrest should be held accountable to liability statutes of private law: Make them pay for the amount of mayhem they have wreaked for the several affected communities to clean up!
Monday, April 30, 2018
Saturday, April 14, 2018
On the Atlantic Magazine article 'What Putin Really Wants' by Justin Jofffe
The article appeared in the January/February, 2018 issue.
I talked about the points raised in the article with my friend Chuck over at Miriam's Kitchen. He pointed out that recently President V. Putin has been concerned with a number of issues pertaining to his neighboring countries. He wants to satisfy China's hunger for oil, which should net him profits galore, including the building of a modern seaport in the Crimea (an area annexed by Russia with its dispute with the Ukraine). Then again, he is concerned to meet oil energy needs of the European countries, e.g., by building a pipeline from Russia to Germany, for instance. He's also concerned to maintain good relations with Syria, so as to continue to use its port cities in the Middle East. Putin must also assure that Russia is up-to-date technologically in the transportation and developing of its own oil industry, to be sure.
Concerns about satisfying its neighbors' needs for oil and energy occurs amid the national government's responsibility of assuring the citizenry that it is responsive to the citizenry's needs and demands for a comfortable lifestyle. The question that must now occur in the minds of the Russian constituency is, "What, Mr. Putin, have you done for us Russian citizens lately?" Admittedly. he led the Russian people from the brink of economic disaster after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 1990s; but what has he done for them recently to improve their economic situation? It would seem that foreign investment has been diminished in recent years, as the economy languishes under sanctions imposed by Western governments.
When will a prosperous Russia return? Not likely that the Soviet Empire will return anytime soon.
I talked about the points raised in the article with my friend Chuck over at Miriam's Kitchen. He pointed out that recently President V. Putin has been concerned with a number of issues pertaining to his neighboring countries. He wants to satisfy China's hunger for oil, which should net him profits galore, including the building of a modern seaport in the Crimea (an area annexed by Russia with its dispute with the Ukraine). Then again, he is concerned to meet oil energy needs of the European countries, e.g., by building a pipeline from Russia to Germany, for instance. He's also concerned to maintain good relations with Syria, so as to continue to use its port cities in the Middle East. Putin must also assure that Russia is up-to-date technologically in the transportation and developing of its own oil industry, to be sure.
Concerns about satisfying its neighbors' needs for oil and energy occurs amid the national government's responsibility of assuring the citizenry that it is responsive to the citizenry's needs and demands for a comfortable lifestyle. The question that must now occur in the minds of the Russian constituency is, "What, Mr. Putin, have you done for us Russian citizens lately?" Admittedly. he led the Russian people from the brink of economic disaster after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 1990s; but what has he done for them recently to improve their economic situation? It would seem that foreign investment has been diminished in recent years, as the economy languishes under sanctions imposed by Western governments.
When will a prosperous Russia return? Not likely that the Soviet Empire will return anytime soon.
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