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# The Founders never assumed indefinite free speech. They assumed that after two weeks, any protest would be wiped out by smallpox.
- URL: https://ivn.us/the-founders-never-assumed-indefinite-free-speech-they-assumed-that-after-two-weeks-any-protest-would-be-wiped-out-by-smallpox/
- Published: 2011-11-16T22:09:06.000Z
- Updated: 2026-06-22T19:21:19.000Z
- Author: Jane Susskind
- Tags: News

The Founders never assumed indefinite free speech. They assumed that after two weeks, any protest would be wiped out by smallpox.  
**STEPHEN COLBERT, on why it was okay for Mayor Bloomberg to send in cops to crack down on Occupy Wall Street protestors while he claimed to be protecting their right to free speech, on *The Colbert Report*** (via [inothernews](http://inothernews.tumblr.com/?ref=ivn.us))