The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.

Do you think that maybe Mr Lear has misunderstood the crowded theatre proverb? Maybe he supposes that somebody in the theater is exhorting a fellow theater patron to fire a weapon and assassiniate a third person. Because that is the only similarity I can see between the proverb of the crowded theater, and Pat Robertson's much publicized remarks.

For the record, yelling "FIRE" in a crowded theater is illegal because it is fraudulent and dangerous. It is often used as an example of a reasonable restriction on free speech - a common-sense disregard for the silly extremist way the Constitution is worded. But that is not accurate. The First Amendment doesn't give you the right to say anything that comes to mind, it gives you the right to state your opinion without government censorship. An assertion of "FIRE" is not a matter of opinion, so if there is no fire, you will be held responsible for trying to incite a riot. This is no different from being arrested for perjury, fraud, or assault - none of these are violations of your rights.

Also for the record, I don't care for Pat Robertson, and his remarks last week were stupid. I have yet to see anybody mount a good defense of what he said, or of his weak apology. Conservatives who defend him are showing terrible hypocrisy, as are the liberals who blast him but leave Hugo Chavez unmolested. But Mr Robertson's comments were his opinion, and are protected under the First Amendment.

That's the difference, Mr Lear.