The Quebec government just announced that it will be spending $603 million over the next five years to strengthen the supposed vitality of the French language. Perhaps part of the money will be spent to ensure that Quebecers such as myself never joke again about the French-Canadian accent. Hey immigrant, know your place!

In my 30-year career as a professor and public intellectual, I have never shied away from tackling sacred cows. As a free speech absolutist, I firmly believe that short of the usual caveats (e.g., direct incitement to violence, defamation), free speech is a deontological principle that is inviolable. As a Jewish person, I support arguably the most offensive speech possible, namely the denial of the Holocaust. Such is the price that we must pay to live in a truly free society.