#FreeSpeech #CivilLiberties #FirstAmendment #MemoryLaws
In the #USA we are due for a conversation on free speech and what permissible restrictions the law should entertain to ensure the future of #democracy and to guard against political violence.
#ACLU and others give wide berth to hate groups like the one below.
Is it time we think about how to balance the right of free speech against our interest in upholding democracy's core values? Should hate get a platform?
https://www.vice.com/en/article/z34ane/neo-nazi-homeschool-ohio
@xankarn Freedom of speech *is* upholding democracy's core values.
Ceding free speech to stop people from saying things you don't like is an abandonment of democracy itself.
@LouisIngenthron Since we’re not talking about “ceding” or “abandoning” free speech, but only about how to practice it responsibly and in ways that do not stoke hate and violence, you’ll have to do more to convince me that Nazi homeschoolers aren’t a legitimate security concern.
@xankarn Allowing the government to punish people for the content of their speech is absolutely "ceding" free speech principles in our law.
@LouisIngenthron You’ll notice that I’ve said nothing here about government “punishment.” And you know already that 1A is not an unlimited principle. Speech that shades into violence isn’t protected, nor should it be. Same with speech that threatens public safety.
@xankarn And incitement has an incredibly high and difficult standard to meet, for good reason.
Of course there are first amendment exceptions; but that's not a good argument for why your proposed exception is a good one.
More importantly, though, talk to me when your anti-nazi-homeschooling law takes effect and the first person charged under it is a black woman for teaching CRM.
If you open the door to the government punishing speech you find frightening, then you open the same door for your opponents.
