You're right, the NYT article is a good read and frightening.
We invaded a mid-East country in the name of allowing them to
have "democracy" and giving them "freedom of speech", yet when one of our citizens speaks out that person is vilified.
Simply put, if you don't like what an entertainer says/does you don't have to support them - don't buy their product/don't support their sponsors. When it comes to an organized effort to shut people up, none of us will have true freedom of speech. Is that what we really want?
"If we talk about the economy, we'll lose"
-Bush44's top aide
"This campaign is not about issues"
-Rick Davis, Bush44's Campaign Manager