Freedom of Speech is Dead

The British pop star known as Morrissey says that agents from the FBI and Britain's Special Branch picked him up recently for questioning after he labeled President Bush a "terrorist" in an interview.

"They were trying to determine if I was a threat to the government, and similarly in England," Morrissey told Sky News. "But it didn't take them very long to realize that I'm not."

Morrissey, who was the lead singer for the Smiths (the popular 1980s band whose albums include Meat is Murder and The Queen is Dead), said he was surprised to be interrogated by the authorities. He insists that he does not belong to any political group and doesn't "say anything unless I'm asked directly, and I don't even demonstrate in public."

Morrissey feels that his experience with the goon squads proves that freedom of speech is an illusion. "My view is that neither England or America are democratic societies," he said. "You can't really speak your mind, and if you do you're investigated."