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"The Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that hate speech, no matter how bigoted or offensive, is free speech."
“Hateful ideas (whatever exactly that might mean) are just as protected under the First Amendment as other ideas,” Volokh said. “One is as free to condemn, for instance, Islam — or Muslims, or Jews, or blacks, or whites, or illegal immigrants, or native-born citizens — as one is to condemn capitalism or socialism or Democrats or Republicans.”
I often support Democrats, but this is one area where I seem to be at odds with the most vocal Democratic activists. Even Republicans sometimes show fascist-like tendencies when it comes to free speech.
I certainly don't want to live in a country where I have to "watch what I say and watch what I do" - as Ari Fleischer once famously said.
I suspect OP's 'quote' in the thread title isn't really a quote from Mayor Wheeler, but aside from that, having lived in Portland most of my years I can say without question that it's a pretty forgiving place as far as allowing all manners of speech and protest to be voiced.
Keep in mind, the city is still shaken by a madman killing two people on it's light rail system so I don't think it's out of line to put in place a cooling off period. Rest assured, no one is stepping on anyone's right to get whatever is bothering them off their chest but perhaps let's show a little humanity for a tragic situation and not dance on any graves particularly before those graves have been yet to be covered. I'd like to think you would ask the same were the shoe on the other foot. Too much to ask?
The much bigger issue here is that the left is calling any speech that they don't agree with "hate speech".
The insanity coming from the left is why our founders know they had to guarantee our rights, they had seen the same kind of authoritarians before.
Not much different than the "persecution" cries from the Christian Right because they don't like the Starbucks Holiday cup design. The Constitution also protects us from the far-right just like it does from the far left. Do people not see that the extremes on both sides are authoritarian and anti-freedom?
Not much different than the "persecution" cries from the Christian Right because they don't like the Starbucks Holiday cup design. The Constitution also protects us from the far-right just like it does from the far left. Do people not see that the extremes on both sides are authoritarian and anti-freedom?
Anybody who gets bent out of shape over a cup is an idiot.
Hate speech should not be banned. Doing so would take us down a dangerous road because the definition of "hate speech" is entirely objective.
I think you mean subjective and I agree.
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