Please Get Involved.

[Ferd]

Originally Posted by nahkoe

I don't know why so many are opposed to this legislation.

Unless they had plans to go shoot all those folks at the gay bar next week and now their plans are foiled.



Freedom of speech is still a Constitutional right and protected by the First Amendment. This legislation is just making it a hate crime to beat someone up or kill them or otherwise cause them physical harm cuz of their race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. This bill specifies *bodily* harm making it (if I understand it correctly at least..Baron..correct me?) impossible for anyone to use this legislation for any real or perceived *emotional or mental* harm.

Nahkoe, to start with we are talking about what is and what isnt "federally protected speech"

if one goes on a racist rant a work, you are not protected from your employer. They can fire you.

if one yells fire in a crowd, and causes panic, you can go to jail. that is not protected.

One cannote insite a riot.

What is and is not federally protcted speech, is decided by the supreme court.

Consider that last night David Souter (liberal justice) has retired and a new younger more liberal judge will take his place.

Justice Ginsburg has pancriatic cancer and wont be on the court much longer either. Also a liberal and a younger version will replace her.

John Paul Stevens is past 80 and wont be on the court long either. Obama will replace this liberal with another liberal.

Justice Kennedy is getting up there in years as well. He is a moderate, can he make 8 years? would he even want to be replaced by a conservative president? It is possible that he could be replaced by Barak Obama as well.

That would give the court young liberals.

What does that have to do with this legislation? The bottom line is, the supreme court decides what is federally protected speech.

with a stacked Liberal court, they could decide that "hate speech" is not protected. and that means a preacher could not say that it is a sin to be gay.

That is a reality. this legislation directly impacts that.