[jschwartzi]

The difference here is that although the US government doesn't want us to talk about September 11th, I'm totally free to do so at any time, on any channel, using any medium. I can freely call George W. Bush an idiot and a dupe for playing right into Osama Bin Laden's plans. I can say that the TSA and the further restrictions on freedom of movement have been one of the worst aspects of the post-911 world in the US. And the persistent culture of fear that has grown up as I've become an adult has been a scary thing for me to face. And I'm free to say that the news media in the US is creating this culture and sustaining it.

I can say all of this without fear of recrimination from my government. I'm enrolled in TSA Precheck, never harassed by the police, can move freely within the country, and am free to buy or view whatever I like in spite of my lack of support for that part of our national government. One of our founding fathers is famously quoted as saying "I do not agree with what you say, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it." We take that statement as gospel. For us to censor our citizens is an affront to our national dignity.

Can you say that the student protests in Tianenmen Square were met with a police response that was massive overkill? Or that attempts to censor Hong Kong's free speech are unacceptable? Or that free speech against your government is an inalienable right? Because if not then there's not really much similarity between the US and China despite how it may seem to you.

[htfu]

Voltaire's biographer was a founding father?