Speaking of free speech....

One rarely finds the same people who agitate for "free speech" to allow, say, neo-Nazi messages to be broadcast on TV, to be nearly as concerned when a US ally does this:

A Jordanian security court has sentenced former Jordanian MP Ahmad Al-'Abadi to two years in prison for criticizing the royal family in speeches before U.S. Congressmen.

Al-'Abadi's wife called the sentence a political move aimed at distancing her husband from the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Source: Al-Jarida, Kuwait, October 10, 2007

Yes, our friends the Jordanians jail people who say things that tick them off.

Perhaps it is just me, but this seems to be a teensy bit greater violation of free speech than forcing any media to give space and time to any crackpot's ravings. Yet not a single English-language news source mentions this story.