Today is International Blasphemy Rights Day.  It’s Facebook page describes it as follows:

International Blasphemy Rights Day, held each year on September 30, is a day to promote the rights to freedom of belief and expression and stand up in a show of solidarity for the liberty to challenge reigning religious beliefs without fear of murder, litigation, or reprisal. The event is administered by the Center for Inquiry as part of its Campaign for Free Expression.

While the sheer lack of taste must be rebuked in some recent acts of blasphemy that have been in the news, blasphemy laws only give governments leverage to punish dissidents of various stripes.

The Pagan community has been speaking out in defense of free speech, including Jason Pitzl-Waters on the Wild Hunt and Joseph Bloch, as has President Obama.