Thank you so much, Garry for doing this; I loved your book Winter Is Coming. Now winter is here. Your knowledge of the Putin/Trump mob family and of Russian/American oligarchy is indispensable.
Garry, I wish you every success with this initiative. I truly believe it will make a meaningful contribution to fostering dialogue, encouraging thoughtful debate, and promoting the kind of objective analysis that is urgently needed in the defense of democracy and freedom.
This effort is indeed laudable. However, given the existential issue, the stakes and that one imagines that "reach" will be critical, please consider not having a paywall. That is critical to success of such an important effort IMHO. Best wishes and congratulations in launching this effort.
Appreciate this comment. It's a very good point. For the foreseeable future, we will not be paywalling any posts. Because we want Garry's analysis to be shared as widely as possible.
Just to clarify, most of the genocidal antisemites who are foreign students facing deportation have done more than simply saying bad things. Many lied on their student visa applications and committed crimes here.
Still, deporting anyone without due process is unforgivable, as is sending him to inhumane facilities like mega prisons in El Salvador.
This comment is unsubstantiated. It should be cause for editors here to be concerned about mistrust of protestors and ignorance. Give details about whom you criticize for their free speech. Protest is legal.
Winning a war is not "genocide," and supporting an internationally designated terrorist group (Hamas, etc.) is not "free speech" simpliciter, and is most certainly NOT protected by the First Amendment.
Allowing people to explain WHY you support the idea behind Hamas or certain of their actions, however (for instance in an op-ed) is absolutely vital for any democracy to thrive.
Actually it most certainly IS protected by the first amendment. What SHOULD not be protected by our first amendment is incitement to violence! However The Felon in the Oval Office has proved over and over again that his inciting people to violence is treated as the exercise of free speech under our broken judicial branch. The entire current administration opines and acts on their adoring support of the genocidal monster, Putin, every damn day. Why aren’t they grabbed off the street and locked up??
Baloney, supporting terrorism and internationally designated terror goups like Hamas least of all. Ditto supporting Putin's genocide, that also isn't "protected speech" depending on the circumstances. You'd need specific examples of someone inciting imminent violence against Ukrainians, and there's your case. Ceteris paribus with supporting Hamas. The idea that First Amendment rights are essentially unlimited, have no balancing counter-rights, is nonsense. Sure there are the most extreme examples (something like, "I support everything Hamas did on October 7 and hope they do it again and again," where the speaker goes on to specify what was done, for example) to something more anodyne, like mooting questions about Hamas. But the First Amendment is no inpenetrable shield.
Richard you make good points, but in the spirit of Mr. Kasparov’s statement that let’s agree that we are uniting on the principle of an open and free society based on the rule of law. That seems to me necessary to face the emergency we find ourselves in. Thank you for being on board!
Yes, and in the spirit of that I refer you to The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper, specifically the brief discussion of the so-called "paradox of tolerance" (that's in a footnote) -
The paradox of tolerance is a philosophical concept suggesting that if a society extends tolerance to those who are intolerant, it risks enabling the eventual dominance of intolerance; thereby undermining the very principle of tolerance. This paradox was articulated by philosopher Karl Popper in The Open Society and Its Enemies (1945),[1] where he argued that a truly tolerant society must retain the right to deny tolerance to those who promote intolerance. Popper posited that if intolerant ideologies are allowed unchecked expression, they could exploit open society values to erode or destroy tolerance itself through authoritarian or oppressive practices. ******
My argument is in part that support for Hamas entails intolerance of the very existence of the State of Israel. That was in the Hamas charter, they removed it but never renounced it. Anyway you're right that we will never solve the I/P debates online, they have to do it themselves. And no way should the current administration be deporting people with no due process, including people who may support Palestinian rights, including establishing a Palestinian state of their of own, with no opportunity to clarify their position on Hamas and the existence of Israel.
Btw I am not just speechifying about supporting Ukraine, I have sent hundreds of $$ to this 501 (c) (3) charity, Revived Soldiers of Ukraine:
Ok, start with a non-tendentious definition of "Zionism." I take it as the right of Jews to a homeland in what was the ancient state of Israel, subject to territorial and legal peace negotiations. Similarly with "Palestine," Palestinians have the right to a national state, subject to peace negotiations to settle territorial boundaries.
Yes! So much disagreement is based on disparate definitions of a single word. We understand a word’s meaning based on how it is used in our own culture, and around those we associate with the most. What a word means to a person in a minority and or distant culture is very likely not the same meaning to a person from a majority or colonizing culture. Agreeing on a definition to a single word can be a challenge in major disagreements.
"Sigh. Here we go." Anti-Zionists are antisemites. You ever notice how they never have an issue with any other indigenous people living in their homeland?
Yeah that's pretty much it, although they try to dance around the basic issues. A state for Jews ruled by Jews, no! they shriek, while a state for Peruvians ruled by Peruvians, Canadians ruled by Canadians (with due respect for First Peoples) is no problem.
Thanks Gary, glad to have your voice and leadership in this turbulent time. I read Winter is Coming just after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and it opened my eyes to what was really happening. I realized Ukraine was on the front lines fighting for freedom and democracy for us all!
Sadly due to a combination of mis-steps due to timidity/complacency, along with a toxic brew of self-righteous anger, bigotry/hatred, ignorance, and greed fueled by our enemies narratives/tactics in co-opting both traditional and social media outlets - here we are. I agree with the other commenter who said that it seems like winter is here!
It is unbelievable/tragic and appears it will very difficult to restore what we have lost. However I like your resolve and I do hope you are right that a 250th anniversary could summon the will of the people to take the steps necessary to rekindle the flame of decency and democracy again in the US. Without the light of that flame, humanity is in for some very dark days.
Wishing you all the best with this important initiative. I’m inspired by the bravery that you and the other dissidents in the RDI network have shown in standing up to autocrats and their enablers and fervently hope that your courage can spread to as many of our fellow citizens as possible. Good luck!
Yes, we must fight for freedom of expression of any opinion, except the opinion about restricting freedom. We cannot use freedom and democracy to try to dismantle freedom and democracy. This is extreme hypocrisy, which contradicts logic and cannot be tolerated. This mistake was made by democrats.
Thank you so much, Garry for doing this; I loved your book Winter Is Coming. Now winter is here. Your knowledge of the Putin/Trump mob family and of Russian/American oligarchy is indispensable.
Why do they hate “WOKE“?
They hope you take a MAGA NAP!
Garry, I wish you every success with this initiative. I truly believe it will make a meaningful contribution to fostering dialogue, encouraging thoughtful debate, and promoting the kind of objective analysis that is urgently needed in the defense of democracy and freedom.
This effort is indeed laudable. However, given the existential issue, the stakes and that one imagines that "reach" will be critical, please consider not having a paywall. That is critical to success of such an important effort IMHO. Best wishes and congratulations in launching this effort.
Appreciate this comment. It's a very good point. For the foreseeable future, we will not be paywalling any posts. Because we want Garry's analysis to be shared as widely as possible.
“Our top priority should be defending an American system which allows us to disagree without deporting, arresting, or killing one another.” 💯
I’m a decorated veteran and we have to fight for what we love. 🇺🇸🇺🇸 freedom.👋
Excellent. Much more useful than opinion pieces.
Looking forward to this! Thank you.
Just to clarify, most of the genocidal antisemites who are foreign students facing deportation have done more than simply saying bad things. Many lied on their student visa applications and committed crimes here.
Still, deporting anyone without due process is unforgivable, as is sending him to inhumane facilities like mega prisons in El Salvador.
Also, props on the clever name 😀
This comment is unsubstantiated. It should be cause for editors here to be concerned about mistrust of protestors and ignorance. Give details about whom you criticize for their free speech. Protest is legal.
Winning a war is not "genocide," and supporting an internationally designated terrorist group (Hamas, etc.) is not "free speech" simpliciter, and is most certainly NOT protected by the First Amendment.
Allowing people to explain WHY you support the idea behind Hamas or certain of their actions, however (for instance in an op-ed) is absolutely vital for any democracy to thrive.
No, supporting active terrorist organizations isn't protected by the 1A, you must have been asleep in Con Law that week.
Actually it most certainly IS protected by the first amendment. What SHOULD not be protected by our first amendment is incitement to violence! However The Felon in the Oval Office has proved over and over again that his inciting people to violence is treated as the exercise of free speech under our broken judicial branch. The entire current administration opines and acts on their adoring support of the genocidal monster, Putin, every damn day. Why aren’t they grabbed off the street and locked up??
Baloney, supporting terrorism and internationally designated terror goups like Hamas least of all. Ditto supporting Putin's genocide, that also isn't "protected speech" depending on the circumstances. You'd need specific examples of someone inciting imminent violence against Ukrainians, and there's your case. Ceteris paribus with supporting Hamas. The idea that First Amendment rights are essentially unlimited, have no balancing counter-rights, is nonsense. Sure there are the most extreme examples (something like, "I support everything Hamas did on October 7 and hope they do it again and again," where the speaker goes on to specify what was done, for example) to something more anodyne, like mooting questions about Hamas. But the First Amendment is no inpenetrable shield.
Richard you make good points, but in the spirit of Mr. Kasparov’s statement that let’s agree that we are uniting on the principle of an open and free society based on the rule of law. That seems to me necessary to face the emergency we find ourselves in. Thank you for being on board!
Yes, and in the spirit of that I refer you to The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper, specifically the brief discussion of the so-called "paradox of tolerance" (that's in a footnote) -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_of_tolerance {Opening excerpt):
The paradox of tolerance is a philosophical concept suggesting that if a society extends tolerance to those who are intolerant, it risks enabling the eventual dominance of intolerance; thereby undermining the very principle of tolerance. This paradox was articulated by philosopher Karl Popper in The Open Society and Its Enemies (1945),[1] where he argued that a truly tolerant society must retain the right to deny tolerance to those who promote intolerance. Popper posited that if intolerant ideologies are allowed unchecked expression, they could exploit open society values to erode or destroy tolerance itself through authoritarian or oppressive practices. ******
My argument is in part that support for Hamas entails intolerance of the very existence of the State of Israel. That was in the Hamas charter, they removed it but never renounced it. Anyway you're right that we will never solve the I/P debates online, they have to do it themselves. And no way should the current administration be deporting people with no due process, including people who may support Palestinian rights, including establishing a Palestinian state of their of own, with no opportunity to clarify their position on Hamas and the existence of Israel.
Btw I am not just speechifying about supporting Ukraine, I have sent hundreds of $$ to this 501 (c) (3) charity, Revived Soldiers of Ukraine:
https://www.rsukraine.org/
And support the Kyiv Independent as well.
Sigh. Here we go. Mr Kasparov, perhaps you can begin with an essay on the difference between antisemites and the anti-Zionists.
Ok, start with a non-tendentious definition of "Zionism." I take it as the right of Jews to a homeland in what was the ancient state of Israel, subject to territorial and legal peace negotiations. Similarly with "Palestine," Palestinians have the right to a national state, subject to peace negotiations to settle territorial boundaries.
Yes! So much disagreement is based on disparate definitions of a single word. We understand a word’s meaning based on how it is used in our own culture, and around those we associate with the most. What a word means to a person in a minority and or distant culture is very likely not the same meaning to a person from a majority or colonizing culture. Agreeing on a definition to a single word can be a challenge in major disagreements.
"Sigh. Here we go." Anti-Zionists are antisemites. You ever notice how they never have an issue with any other indigenous people living in their homeland?
Yeah that's pretty much it, although they try to dance around the basic issues. A state for Jews ruled by Jews, no! they shriek, while a state for Peruvians ruled by Peruvians, Canadians ruled by Canadians (with due respect for First Peoples) is no problem.
Any concrete names and evidence of such "crimes"?
Thanks Gary, glad to have your voice and leadership in this turbulent time. I read Winter is Coming just after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and it opened my eyes to what was really happening. I realized Ukraine was on the front lines fighting for freedom and democracy for us all!
Sadly due to a combination of mis-steps due to timidity/complacency, along with a toxic brew of self-righteous anger, bigotry/hatred, ignorance, and greed fueled by our enemies narratives/tactics in co-opting both traditional and social media outlets - here we are. I agree with the other commenter who said that it seems like winter is here!
It is unbelievable/tragic and appears it will very difficult to restore what we have lost. However I like your resolve and I do hope you are right that a 250th anniversary could summon the will of the people to take the steps necessary to rekindle the flame of decency and democracy again in the US. Without the light of that flame, humanity is in for some very dark days.
Garry,
Wishing you all the best with this important initiative. I’m inspired by the bravery that you and the other dissidents in the RDI network have shown in standing up to autocrats and their enablers and fervently hope that your courage can spread to as many of our fellow citizens as possible. Good luck!
Welcome Mr Kasparov!
Yes, we must fight for freedom of expression of any opinion, except the opinion about restricting freedom. We cannot use freedom and democracy to try to dismantle freedom and democracy. This is extreme hypocrisy, which contradicts logic and cannot be tolerated. This mistake was made by democrats.
Great start. I'd add one point: we need to create a large, enduring coalition that can last for 30 years.
Thank you for doing this. I am so happy to join!
GO U.S.A. 🌎🇺🇸
Da, khorosho, Gospodin Kasparov. Bol'shoye spasibo👍
All success in this important endeavor. Looking forward to hear your voice.