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From: blp Category: Life Date: 28 November 2007 Time: 04:25 PM Review: Hi Pol. Did you read the Finkelstein quote? You don't see the value of debating the holocaust with deniers, but Raul Hilberg, a leading Holocaust historian did and Finkelstein's case makes his case well. You don't say anything that addresses this argument. Anyway, the Oxford Union debate was not about this subject, but about free speech itself. No, the Oxford Union didn't have to invite these guys, but they did. My post was about all the people aggressively trying to shut down the debate. Anyway, I think the 'you didn't have to invite them line' is weak. Freedom is, by definition, limitless. Suggesting the union shouldn't have engaged these men in debate implicitly places a limit. People always start going in for this kind of exceptionalist squirming when they want to stop the conversation. Why? Because people are scared of having their most treasured beliefs undermined. Christians did it to Jerry Springer the Opera, Muslims did it to the Danish cartoons, Sikhs did it to Behkzti and good liberals want to do it to Irving and Griffin. The really difficult and brave thing would be to try to back up what you believe in debate. Otherwise it doesn't look much better than faith, to whit superstition.