H. L. Mencken Quotes
There is only one justification for having sinned, and that is to be glad of it.
Mencken, H. L. A Little Book in C Major. John Lane Company, 1916, p. 25.
The debate was on a proposal to increase the female marriage age to 14. Most objected to it on the grounds that it violated Hindu religious tradition.
Geert Wilders, a far-right politician who was then seen as a likely contender to become prime minister was convicted by a 3 Judge Court of inciting discrimination and of insulting a group for saying that the Netherlands would be safer with fewer Moroccans. Wilders was one of the leading European Islamaphobes. He made this statement upon his conviction. The "logic" behind the statement is most unusual. He argued that since he was the political leader of millions of people whose beliefs were reflected by his offending statements, he was merely stating public opinion and that should never be a criminal offense. In reaality it was Wilders who rist fired uo a minority of the Dutch voters with his incendiary statements. The extension of his "logic" would be that no one who makes a statement that is beleived by a significant number of people, should be guilty of any criminal law. In the United States, our Constitutional protection for Freedom of speech and Freedom of the press, prohibits any criminal prosecution of political statemetns regardless of how false they are or how much harm that they do. Few otehr contries have such an absolute protection for speech, and the Netherlands laws were typical of then existing European law.
Henry Louis Mencken was an American journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English. He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians, and contemporary movements. His satirical reporting on the Scopes Trial, which he dubbed the "Monkey Trial," also gained him attention.
