Editorial: A recently passed law limits freedom of speech in order to silence dissenters. It has been said that those who are ignorant of history will repeat its patterns. If this is true, then those responsible for passing the law must be ignorant of a great deal of history. Historically, silencing dissenters has tended to promote undemocratic policies and the establishment of authoritarian regimes. The editorialist's reasoning is flawed in that it fails to take into account that ['certain freedoms might sometimes need to be limited in order to ensure the protection of certain other freedoms', 'even those who are not ignorant of history may repeat its patterns', 'the law may have other purposes in addition to silencing dissenters', 'some historical accounts report that legal restrictions on freedom of speech have occasionally undermined the establishment of authoritarian regimes']