28 July 2004 - Free Speech Zone

If Stephen Hawking is right, then information does get out of a black hole eventually. It comes out delayed and scrambled, but that happens to ordinary political speeches too. Clearly the security organization of the Democratic National Convention in Boston is deficient; the Free Speech Zone is surrounded by razor wire and overhead netting, when it should be surrounded by an event horizon. A black hole also makes handy storage for banned books, and it’s a cozy spot for a tea party.