First Amendment flameout

Free speech is about the honest ex change of ideas, a fundamental principle of liberal democracy. So why are allegedly liberal city Democrats seeking to silence speech? On Thursday, after a 48-hour full-court press from the legislative and political establishment, a Soho anti-abortion billboard ad was taken down. The ad's text, by a picture of a young black girl, read, "The most dangerous place for an African-American is in the womb," with a Web site for more info. Sure, the rhetoric is provocative. But facts are indeed stubborn things. * African-Americans make up 13 percent of the US population --...