Freedom of thought, however dumb it may be

Published on February 20 2006

Looks like that doesn't exitst in Europe these days. Holocaust Denier Gets Three Years in Jail -- Newsday.com

VIENNA, Austria -- Right-wing British historian David Irving was sentenced to three years in prison Monday after admitting to an Austrian court that he denied the Holocaust -- a crime in the country where Hitler was born. Irving, who pleaded guilty and then insisted during his one-day trial that he now acknowledged the Nazis' World War II slaughter of 6 million Jews, had faced up to 10 years behind bars. Before the verdict, Irving conceded he had erred in contending there were no gas chambers at the Auschwitz concentration camp.

But then again, maybe dumb thought does exist there. Putting somebody in jail for their thoughts, however wrong, is a good thing, how?