Larry Flynt.
A fight for the right to party – to say anything you want - anywhere.
Here is his story and his fight for pure First Amendment rights and free speech.
This is a great film. Make your own conclusions whether this fight was worth it for him and his family. This is a moving personal piece. He is an American original.
Several people who post on our message boards and on my blog subscribe to absolute free speech as a doctrine. In fact, I posted about the poll concerning our President yesterday on Facebook and one comment via email to me was “This person has an absolute first amendment right to say whatever he/she wants. It is un-American to take this poll down or to punish the Facebook member.”
Perhaps?
Watch this film. It deals with tough subjects on free speech.
Absolute free speech is why our media is allowed to mislead in our country. It’s a privilege to have free speech and it will always lead to abuse by those with agendas – on both sides in some cases. It’s up to us to sift through to get the truth – not have someone else’s version of it spoon fed to us. Keep the free speech – get informed.
I do wonder when justices expand the concept of free speech to protect behaviors or artistic choices of expression. Are we protecting things we ought to question or even abhor? Draw your own conclusions.
No reverence here for Flynt.
ted-thanks for posting about this film. enjoyed it very much. even that politician could not respond to the question as to what was more obscene….pictures of naked women or pictures war victims…
btw-larry owns and operates a casino in los angeles where i play poker. it is by far the nicest and classist casino in the area (and in many ways the antithesis of his magazine ie. no nudity or hustler magazine type stuff).
Hi Ted– I believe that there is common and widespread misunderstanding about what freedom of speech protections the 1st amendment to the Constitution provides. My understanding is that it applies only to government intervention and does not restrict individuals or organizations. I am posting this in response to the posts you received asserting that “this person has an absolute first amendment right to say whatever he /she wants…”
Here is an explanation of the 1st ammendment:
What is the First Amendment?
The full text of the First Amendment, from the United States Constitution, is as follows:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Basically, the First Amendment guarantees a variety of civil liberties and restricts the government from interfering with freedom of speech, the free exercise of religion, the freedom to assemble, the right of privacy, and the separation of church and state. The courts have interpreted, and in some cases, limited, these freedoms in certain circumstances. The First Amendment only pertains to actions of the government. In other words, private corporations or individuals can – and often do – violate First Amendment freedoms, without repercussion. ”
I heartily agree with the decision that Facebook made to pull the Obama poll down…
I happily turn this discussion over to any qualified attorneys to help clear up this widely held misunderstanding…I get most of my legal knowledge from Boston Legal and Law and Order