George,

In my book, it still counts as free speech if it is given up willingly. We know that they were not forced into the agreement because two of the plaintiffs chose not to accept the conditions. All of us, at some time in our lives , have chosen to bite our tongue, making our decision on whether it was more important to speak or not to speak. We should not deride those who freely choose not to speak. I'm sure that after weighing their options, that they chose what is best for them and their families. There are those who want to keep up the fight and I admire that. But for those who were able to reach a comfortable compromise--I also admire them for their ability to take on the system and reach a resolution.

Ellora Young (electronic mail, October 12, 2000).