The truth is that a firm line has to be drawn between dangerous hate speech and legitimate expressions of opinion. Saying, "Homosexuals are sinners" should be legal. That is a peaceful statement of opinion based on certain religious faiths, and censoring or punishing it would be a violation of freedom of religion as well as freedom of speech. On the other hand, I once heard of a sign saying, "When a f*g dies, God laughs". That is not legitimate free speech. The implication in it is violent, unlike my first example. It implies that killing a homosexual man would please God and so incites violence. The line is crossed when a statement explicitly or implicitly advocates a crime against homosexuals or any other group or individual. Laws against hate speech are necessary, although they are excessive in Canada and in some European countries. I don't see an infinite slippery slope in either direction; I see a balancing act. I draw the line at advocating crime.

Yes it is. And I personally encourage such speech. We need more people saying things like that.

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I wasn't born with enough middle fingers.

Better offensive and repulsive words than the far more offensive and disgusting idea of thought crimes and government repression of speech. That is REALLY scary and disgusting.

Hate speech makes those who engage it look like morons. Making hate speech illegal makes an entire society look like morons. I prefer the former.

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I'll get nicer when you get smarter.

and his "hate speech" actually help the very cause they seek to destroy. As such I encourage him to hate (*)(*)(*)(*) and say so. He does not offend me. Thought police and arrests over words declared "hateful" does offend me, however. Very much. But I'm weird.

Like Catz, if my choice is speech police or hate speech, I'll take the hate speech thanks.

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I wasn't born with enough middle fingers.

in many regards, you are my ideological doppelganger.

I guess that means I'm weird too. I'd rather put up with any manner of unpleasantness than have the prospect of the government deciding what people can, and cannot, say.

America: Let's Fire Nanny

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I'll get nicer when you get smarter.

change all the time! You would never be able to keep track and could easily get arrested today for something you were free to say yesterday (see FCC violations under Bush). It's kind of a moving target.

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I wasn't born with enough middle fingers.

about god, or his agents, or shrubbullyu.

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I'll get nicer when you get smarter.

[quote="brwneyedgrl";p="167833"]America's constitution affords all citizens Freedom OF Religion, NOT an America, "Free FROM religion".....
Freedom of religion includes freedom from religion.

If you made any comment about Jeebus or God or his representatives you would be in dire straights. No thanks, Force.

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I wasn't born with enough middle fingers.

Not necessarily. It could simply mean that God laughs with joy when one of His gay or lesbian children come home just as He does when one of His straight children comes home. No thought police, thank you, Force.