- A new survey found that a majority of high schoolers
think newspapers should not be allowed to publish without government approval.
And almost one in five said that Americans should be prohibited from expressing
unpopular opinions.
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- Lemme tell you little darlings something: This is my
livelihood you're messing with, so either learn the Bill of Rights or you
don't deserve Social Security.
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- Now, to those of you who think I'm overreacting: Yes,
I understand that when you're in high school you're still very young and
that no one really cares what kids say anyway -- it's not like priests
are dating you for your brains.
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- But the younger generation is supposed to rage against
the machine, not for it; they're supposed to question authority, not question
those who question authority.
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- And what's so frightening is that we're seeing the beginnings
of the first post-9/11 generation -- the kids who first became aware of
the news under an "Americans need to watch what they say" administration,
the kids who've been told that dissent is un-American and therefore justifiably
punished by a fine, imprisonment -- or the loss of your show on ABC.
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- President Bush once asked, "Is our children learning?"
No -- they isn't. A more appropriate question might be, "Is our teachers
teaching?" In four years, you can teach a gorilla sign language. Is
it too much to ask that in the same amount of time a kid be taught what
those crazy hippies who founded this country had in mind?
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- I know the Morals & Values folks want us to take
time out of the school day for prayer and the Ten Commandments and abstinence
training and at least two theories of evolution -- the one agreed upon
by every scientist in the world and the one that involves naked ladies
and snakes -- but, lest we forget, last month the people of Iraq risked
death and danger to send a simple, inspiring message: America, get out
of our country. But also, we want the freedoms you take for granted.
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- Now, I didn't mind being on the losing side of the last
election. But as a loser, I guess I have some "unpopular" opinions
-- and I'd like to keep them. I'd even like to continue to say them right
out loud on TV, because if I just get up there every Friday night and spout
the Bush administration's approved talking points, that's not freedom or
entertainment. It's Fox News.
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- Bill Maher, host of HBO's "Real Time With Bill Maher,"
wrote this article for the Los Angeles Times.
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- http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/5252799.html
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