I posted my item on Chris Hedges’ call to suppress speech from “the Radical Christian Right” on The Huffington Post, where I have (rarely used) posting privileges. The resulting comments were an interesting mix.
Quite a few commenters agreed that Hedges’ call was unsound. Some suggested that I misinterpreted Hedges’ position, though I’m pretty sure I didn’t. Some, as is common (both from people on the Left and on the Right) just assumed that I only condemn left-wing calls for speech suppression (“Where were you when your fellow travellers were doing exactly what you decry here?”); still, that’s just ignorance about me and hostility towards the person they assume me to be, not necessarily endorsement of Hedges’ suggestions.
But a bunch seemed to endorse, expressly or implicitly, Hedges’ proposal. Naturally, commenters on a blog aren’t representative even of the readers of that blog, much less of any broader movement. Yet it seems pretty clear that there are people out there who share Hedges’ view.
My favorite item, though, was this:
jesus, Volokh, RedState’s down the hall and to the right. whyncha go peddle it there?
Maybe I’m misunderstanding the comment, but it seems to me that it’s worse than agreement with the call for speech suppression: It suggests that calls for speech suppression coming from the Left are none of the Left’s concern. People who complain about such calls shouldn’t “peddle” them on the Huffington Post, you know; right-wing sites are the only fitting place for them.
In any case, have a read; Hedges is not alone, though I doubt that he represents a vast movement.