I believe that freedom of speech is fundamental in having made possible the spread of Buddhist practice in the United States. I have been following with interest the Charlie Hebdo - Pen controversy and have found the following articles particularly insightful, especially since they come from writers with different political and ideological backgrounds. If you are interested, check them out.
This is a review of perspectives from France:
http://tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/books/190749/paris-pen-boycott
And here are some American perspectives:
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/05/charlie-hebdo-trudeau-pen-garland/392255/
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/04/why-garry-trudeau-is-wrong-about-charlie-hebdo/390336/
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/02/opinion/why-were-honoring-charlie-hebdo.html
http://tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/190694/pen-boycott
And here is a later review and evaluation with appropriate links:
http://tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/books/191181/reflections-on-pen-protesters
