This is the government, responding to your ad for a nanny...

Jack Shafer points out a disturbing statistic:

When the same Annenberg survey asked if government should have the right to limit the press in reporting a story, an appalling 68 percent said either "always," "sometimes," or "rarely." Only 29 percent said "never." Let's hope the First Amendment never comes up for a vote.

Freedom of speech, and all the messy drama it entails, is a fundamental part of the American experience, and yet so few people grasp its essential conflict. To allow truly unadulterated speech to flourish, one must be willing to allow unpopular, even vulgar and disturbing, ideas along with the ones an individual already supports. This seems obvious, and many will pay tacit lipservice to allowing the other side to have their say. But put it to a vote - or a poll - and the results show that a surprising number of people would love to shut the other guy up.

The willingness of the American public to allow the government to control the flow of information is a troubling sign that suggests a move towards Britain-style speech laws might not be as unlikely as it sounds. I for one, want my beer ads to continue to be littered with outrageously attractive young people. What's the point of alcohol if it doesn't make you feel hot?