Quote:
Originally Posted by mikester
Probably because the people they are protesting against are the folks who DIE to protect their right to protest.
And yes, I believe they have the right to their free speech and the right to protest but I also believe that not only are you free to do so, not only do you have the right to free speech but you have the right to deal with any consequences of what you say.
These folks had something to say, they said it and now they must deal with the social ramifications of it; In this case it is a law suit. They took something from the mourners that can't be given back - laying their son to rest is not something you can do more than once.
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Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for free speech, but not all speech is protected.
There are several examples of speech that is not protected: clear and present danger (yelling fire in a crowded theatre), libel, perjury, etc. There are a number of other examples. In particular, what is called hate speech is often not protected speech. An example would be a KKK rally denigrating an entire race. However, what is considered hate speech is often subjective. See here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_speech
In most of our opinions, what this church did would be considered hate speech. That is certainly my opinion.
Hate speech is against the law. You aren’t really “free to do so” like you mention. You do not have a “right to protest” if the protest is hate speech. If you conduct hate speech, you have broken the law. Just like breaking any other law, you must deal with the consequences.
I believe this church is appealing based on freedom of speech, but I believe (and hope) the verdict will be upheld. They have broken the law (and they did it in the name of their god), and they must pay the consequences.