Isn't Free Speech Wonderful? Or can we truly speak of free speech without facing attempts to limit speech?

This is an interesting and in some ways frightening article exploring attempts to limit speech, and the many justifications for these limitations on college campus.

Without freedom of speech, Buddha Dharma probably would have had more difficulties in spreading to the US.  Likewise, threats to freedom of speech are potentially threats to Dharma teaching and practice, to the Bodhisattvic liberation of beings in all the realms of our daily encounter.

As Master Kukai (Kobo Daishi) wrote, "the Dharma is beyond speech but without speech it cannot be revealed."

Here are the opening and closing paragraphs with a link to the whole article following:

"On campuses across the country, hostility toward unpopular ideas has become so irrational that many students, and some faculty members, now openly oppose freedom of speech. The hypersensitive consider the mere discussion of the topic of censorship to be potentially traumatic. Those who try to protect academic freedom and the ability of the academy to discuss the world as it is are swimming against the current. In such an atmosphere, liberal-arts education can’t survive."

"On campuses across the country, hostility toward unpopular ideas has become so irrational that many students, and some faculty members, now openly oppose freedom of speech. The hypersensitive consider the mere discussion of the topic of censorship to be potentially traumatic. Those who try to protect academic freedom and the ability of the academy to discuss the world as it is are swimming against the current. In such an atmosphere, liberal-arts education can’t survive."

http://online.wsj.com/articles/harvey-silverglate-liberals-are-killing-the-liberal-arts-1415573959