Category Archives: free speech

Barney Rosset and the Tropic of Cancer

One of my First Amendment heroes, Grove Press publisher Barney Rosset, received a lifetime achievement award today from the National Book Foundation. Rosset published the first American edition of Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer, and he fought all the way … Continue reading






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Parting Words: George Carlin

George Carlin died six weeks ago. It’s Bad For Ya, his final comedy album, was released last Tuesday. It includes a bit about mourning friends for six weeks, then removing them ceremoniously from his address book like crossing them off … Continue reading






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George Carlin was an American Rabelais

“Does it sound like an old friend is gone?” That’s what George Carlin said about removing a compound matrilineal redundancy from his famously scandalous comedy routine, Seven Words You Can’t Say on Television. Thanks to Carlin and free speech champions … Continue reading






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How China Sees The Torch Protests

Police officers apprehend a pro-Tibet demonstrator waving a Tibetan flag (right) as he tries to interrupt the Olympic torch parade while Chinese athlete Jin Jing (left, in wheelchair) guards the torch April 7, 2008, near the Eiffel tower in Paris. … Continue reading






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What If Protesters Doused The Flame In 1936?

A German runner carries the Olympic flame into Berlin’s swastika-draped stadium in 1936. [Source: Wikipedia] The notion that the Olympic “movement” is about individual athleticism is a myth. The Olympics have long been devoted to nationalism and the manipulation of … Continue reading






Posted in 1930s, Berlin, free speech, global citizen | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment