A three judge panel finds his First Amendment rights were violated
"All our client did was get up at a public meeting and express himself vigorously, and he was arrested for it," said Glen Lenhoff, Leonard's attorney.
At the time, Leonard's wife, Sarah, was suing the township over a towing contract. Thomas Leonard accused the board members in the meeting of cheating his family and saying, "That's why you're in a goddamn lawsuit."
I guess the sword cuts both ways with free speech issues. When overzealous police arrest people for uttering "goddamn" under misguided morality enforcement agendas it seems obvious that a fundamental right has been violated. But what about when a fundie talks about his or her view on Gay Rights? When does it cross the line?
I have trouble with this one. I tend to view it like an economic issue. Let the market decide when to censor itself. But people like Ana Coulter give me pause - can't we just shut her up? The obvious answer is no - so I use my normal approach. I don't pay her and people like her much attention.
There are people I do not agree with - like James Dobson, but I don't call for him to shut him up. Even when he says absurdly hateful things. There is a limit of course - for me it is when speech crosses the racism line.
2 comments:
"There is a limit of course - for me it is when speech crosses the racism line."
You support legal restrictions on racist speech? As in criminal penalties?
Who will determine what is "racism"?
Why should race be the only protected class?
What would happen if at the same time they were outlawing racist hate speech they outlawed religious hate speech?
What if anti-fundamentalist rants were considered "hate speech"?
The first amendment does not exist to protect speech to which no one would object.
There is almost no limit for me. Direct incitations to violence perhaps... Whatever, there needs to be as bright a line as possible between prohibited and protected speech.
Nope - I don't support a limit. My personal "punch a guy in the nose" limit is racism. It pisses me off. I'm more in the "protect it all" camp.
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