On 11 Oct 2006 17:29:54 -0700, "Louis Blair"
wrote:

Mike Murray wrote (Tue, 10 Oct 2006 23:11:28 -0700):

Free speech is often abrasive, offensive and mistaken.
Still beats restriction.

I do not see this as a free speech issue. Sam Sloan can say
almost whatever he wants. However, as I understand it, one
does not have a constitutional right to be on the USCF board
and say whatever one wants. People are commonly voted out
of office because of what they say. That is not a violation of
free speech. It is part of democracy.

I totally agree. Sloan's website and its content were a legitimate
campaign issue. It wasn't that he had a secret website. One of his
domain names is samsloan.com. He posted prolifically. Various people
called attention to the, ummmm, controversial nature of his content.
And he was recently elected *anyway*. The membership spoke with their
votes. And some board members and other people involved with
organized chess didn't like what the membership said.

So your comment that "people are commonly voted out of office because
of what they say" isn't all that pertinent -- he was just voted *into*
office despite what he said.

It's as if Lenny Bruce were elected to City Council and now some other
Council members are all in a dither because their new peer uses dirty
words in public.

Mike Murray wrote (Tue, 10 Oct 2006 23:11:28 -0700):
7 Free speech is often abrasive, offensive and mistaken.
7 Still beats restriction.
_
I wrote (11 Oct 2006 17:29:54 -0700):
7 I do not see this as a free speech issue. Sam Sloan
7 can say almost whatever he wants. However, as I
7 understand it, one does not have a constitutional right
7 to be on the USCF board and say whatever one wants.
7 People are commonly voted out of office because of
7 what they say. That is not a violation of free speech.
7 It is part of democracy.

_
Mike Murray wrote (Wed, 11 Oct 2006 17:56:10 -0700):

7 I totally agree. Sloan's website and its content were a
7 legitimate campaign issue. It wasn't that he had a
7 secret website. One of his domain names is
7 samsloan.com. He posted prolifically. Various people
7 called attention to the, ummmm, controversial nature
7 of his content. And he was recently elected *anyway*.
7 The membership spoke with their votes. And some
7 board members and other people involved with organized
7 chess didn't like what the membership said.
7
7 So your comment that "people are commonly voted out
7 of office because of what they say" isn't all that pertinent
7 -- he was just voted *into* office despite what he said.
7
7 It's as if Lenny Bruce were elected to City Council and
7 now some other Council members are all in a dither
7 because their new peer uses dirty words in public.

_
I do not think Sam Sloan was quite as well known as
Lenny Bruce. My comment about being voted out of
office was pertinent because there is a recall process
that may come into play here.

Louis Blair wrote:
I do not think Sam Sloan was quite as well known as
Lenny Bruce. My comment about being voted out of
office was pertinent because there is a recall process
that may come into play here.

Who is Lenny Bruce?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenny_Bruce