Further down the toilet in Britain

I've written on the situation for gun ownership and self-defense in Britain, because I consider it such a crappy situation. Not just crappy, but seriously dangerous. Not just for the individuals involved in any particular incident, but for their society.

I'm of the opinion that such contempt for the right of self-defense and the means of it are a sympton of rot in a society, and that rot shows in other ways, also. Instapundit has a post with two links about a further loss of freedom of speech over there. From the first link:
"Thanks to a proposed law that would limit permissible speech concerning religion, the UK is is in the middle of a debate about free speech."

It seems to boil down to "You can't say anything about a religeon that might upset someone". From what I've read, this was first pushed by Muslim groups, and of course everyone else wanted to protect their own tender feelings, too. And this is part of the rot in a society.

We've got our own rot. PC thinking is a big part of it; you're not allowed to say something that might hurt someones feelings, and it's best if you're not allowed to think such things, either. At least when you're talking about certain groups; screw everybody else. You see, those groups are so insecure and helpless, we just can't allow anyone to say something hurtful. And it's a bloody load of crap.

I say this for two reasons. First, the freedom of speech issue; it has to allow for both ideas you don't agree with and people you don't like. If you don't allow those things, there is no freedom of speech, there's just this high-sounding phrase people use because it makes them feel good & noble. Second, it combines two things that are, or should be, distasteful; the idea that some people/groups are so tender and helpless they can't handle insensitive talk, and the idea that government has to 'protect' them by banning any speech that 'might' be hurtful.

It's easy to handle both these things. The 'tender, helpless' groups? Get over it. No matter who you are, no matter what you are; no matter your skin color, country or countries of ancestry, religeon, sex, whatever; there is someone who will try to make himself feel better about himself by crapping on you. Deal with it. There is nothing in the Constitution or Bill of Rights that says you're entitled to go through your whole life without having your tender feelings hurt.
For the second, if the government is given power to prevent any group from speaking/writing, they can do it to ALL groups. Including the 'be nice to the poor little helpless ones' groups, just as soon as some bureaucrat decides they are a problem.

Britain is way, way down the slope. Lack of respect for freedom of speech, the right of self-defense, the right to arms, all of it blends together. Those more wise, more intelligent than you, will tell you how to live and where to live and what you can say and what you can own. And smother you in the process.