Fire!

[shereads]

From Jon Stewart's book "America," comes this little-known piece of judicial history. According to Stewart, Supreme Court Justice, Oliver Wendell Holmes drew on a childhood trauma when he authored the precedent-setting opinion that our right to free speech can "under no circumtances be applied to crying 'Fire' in a crowded theater."

When he was six years old, Holmes' family attended the single showing of the Broadway stage play, "Hey, Everybody! There's a Fire in the Theater...And We're Not Kidding!"

The play closed after six minutes, due to a panicked stampede for the exits in which 438 people were trampled to death.

 

[logophile]

From Jon Stewart's book "America," comes this little-known piece of judicial history. According to Stewart, Supreme Court Justice, Oliver Wendell Holmes drew on a childhood trauma when he authored the precedent-setting opinion that our right to free speech can "under no circumtances be applied to crying 'Fire' in a crowded theater."

When he was six years old, Holmes' family attended the single showing of the Broadway stage play, "Hey, Everybody! There's a Fire in the Theater...And We're Not Kidding!"

The play closed after six minutes, due to a panicked stampede for the exits in which 438 people were trampled to death.

That's truly fascinating. I need to learn more cool stuff!

 

[shereads]

Re: Re: Fire!

That's truly fascinating. I need to learn more cool stuff!

There's a dangerous build-up of carbon monoxide in the Authors Hangout. I'd tell the others, but I don't want to cause a panic.

 

[M Crim]

I love that book. Almost as good as the Daily Show.

 

[Guest]

Re: Re: Re: Fire!

There's a dangerous build-up of carbon monoxide in the Authors Hangout. I'd tell the others, but I don't want to cause a panic.

Yes, you do.

And I don't think it's carbon monoxide, anyway. Probably methane.

 

[Guest]

I love that book. Almost as good as the Daily Show.

I LOVE the daily show.

Jon Stewart is fucking brilliant.

 

[Lisa Denton]

I love that book. Almost as good as the Daily Show.

I was working part time one summer at this place. They had me make up a file for emergency numbers, small suburban city, no 911 service. It had police, fire, building security, poison control center, I put everything in it. The owner was gonna put it on the network on everyones desktop.

So I says you want me to call it emergency numbers?

She says no, people will think thats the day-care for their kids or the emergency baby-sitter or stuff. She says she will think of a good name for it and tell me the next day.

Before I left that night, I closed out the program and saved it with a name off the top of my head, apparently she liked it because the next afternoon everyone had a folder on their desktops.

It was called:
"Fireman!!! Save my child!!!"

 

[shereads]

Smoke! Second-hand smoke! Walk for your lives!

 

[shereads]

Seriously. Doesn't anyone else smell smoke? Is it only in the Imagize skin?

 

[Songcatcher]

Seriously. Doesn't anyone else smell smoke?

I do. That is the point of smoking.

Don't tell me you're dying because of the secondary smoking from my fags.

 

[NoJo]

Seriously. Doesn't anyone else smell smoke?

Seriously? No.