William T. Vollmann on the Necessity of "Freedom of Speech"

I'm currently reading the first volume (of seven) of Rising Up and Rising Down (McSweeney's, 2003) by William T. Vollmann. Its a meditation on the uses, abuses, meanings, rationalizations, legitimations and consequences of violence in human history. Yeah, 3000 plus pages, luckily Vollmann is a talented writer and he brings to the project a wide range of experiences/learning/interests and, as we all should, a recognition that he should develop his own moral calculus in regards to these problematic issues.

Vollmann literary bio

Anyways, since I'm going to be reading all seven volumes I'll most likely refer to it from time to time--here is a good beginning quote from the essay "Where Do My Rights End?" on the necessity of "freedom of speech" as a basis for a just social contract:

... the self retains the inalienable right to express itself as it chooses, on any topic that it chooses, the right to empathize with friend or foe (shall we call that treason?), to assent and to deny, to offend, to express its conscience and to express no conscience, to be offensive, vulgar, vicious and even evil in the object and manner of its expression, at any and all times, with the sole caveat that direct incitement to violence is action, not speech, and may be considered illegitimate to the extent that the violence it incites is illegitimate. I say it again: If we don't grant the self this paltry right, then our social contract is nothing more than hypocritical or naked coercion. (volume I, pg. 223)