Would you like to see the First Amendment modified so that "hate speech" could be banned?

[Nye Bevan]

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[Warren Stupidity]

1. there is no FUCK NO option. WTF?

[hrmjustin]

2. Leave the amendment alone!

[Chan790]

3. Being a civil libertarian means defending the right of speech you personally find offensive.

So, no. I would not support an effort to weaken free speech rights.

[NaturalHigh]

4. No way.

[Kaleva]

5. No

[YarnAddict]

6. Who would define "hate speech?

And would the definition change based on which party is in power? Very, very dangerous territory. And no result would ever be worth the inherent danger.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

14. You prett much nailed it. Dissent would be branded hate.

[SCUBANOW]

38. what yarn said.

[greytdemocrat]

7. NO! Hands off

Way too dangerous

[wandy]

8. What is "hate speech" to some may not be "hate speech" to others.........

Just like what is offensive to some may not be offensive to others.
Yes I remember "If you can't say any thing nice............."
And if you go say something offensive you might find there are consequences.
So be it.

But that isn't the point.
Freedom of speech is freedom of speech.
You run you're mouth, you take you're chances.
EOD

[FreeJoe]

9. Only if...

I personally get to decide what is "hate speech." I don't trust anyone else with that decision. I have no doubt that it would quickly turn into a prohibition against blasphemy when the Pubs are in charge.

[LittleBlue]

10. Hell no

If they tried this there would be blood in the streets.

[TheCowsCameHome]

11. Absolutely

n.o.t.

[Jasana]

12. No... but I am a small part of the FlushRush Campaign...

Does that mean I'm against free speech? Sometimes I wonder. It's just that that man is so utterly vile.

[Nye Bevan]

15. Do you think Rush should be arrested and imprisoned or fined for his speech?

If not, then what you are doing is fully compatible with the First Amendment.

[Jasana]

22. No. No arresting. No fining...

After all, I wouldn't want to be arrested for declaring that Rush is a waste of human air space.

[exboyfil]

13. My daughter is studying the politics course

She proposed updating the U.S. constitution in one of her forum posts.

Justice Ginsburg recommended looking at the South African constitution instead of the U.S. for Egypt. Looking at the S.A. constitution, I cannot agree. Take a look at it sometime - it seems needlessly wordy and written for specific events/situations and will not stand the test of time. On the other hand the same could be said for the U.S. constitution (quartering troops??). The biggest thing about the U.S. constitution are those things that are now taken for granted that are not enshrined in it (for example judicial review).

A specific exception to free speech is a bad idea. I would think slander and libel laws should cover the more egregious examples. The marketplace of ideas also helps.

[OutNow]

16. What is "hate speech"?

Obviously we can't outlaw hate speech because the definition of hate speech is almost totally left to the prosecuting party, i.e. whoever is the in charge of the government at the time.

We have far too many examples: from Eugene B. Debs, to H. Rap Brown, to William Kunstler who were tried (and in many cases convicted) solely for what they said. It was called treasonous speech, or inflammatory speech or contemptible speech. Using any legal modification of the 1rst Amendment to its advantage, a government would label all of these examples "hate speech". And they would imprison them. Don't think so? Just ask Lynn Stewart.

[H2O Man]

17. No.

[Liberal_in_LA]

18. no

[struggle4progress]

19. IMO it's possible under current judicial interpretation of the first amendment

to prosecute speech presenting a clear and present danger to peace and good order, as well as to prosecute incitement that actually leads to criminality under various theories, including conspiracy. Intimidation is also prosecutable. Moreover, defamatory accusations against sufficiently small groups of identifiable persons can produce civil liability as slander or libel

Aside from such exceptions, US cultural tradition generally aims to allow even unpleasant and idiotic speech

[WillowTree]

20. Why stop there? Let's ban "hate thought", too.

Geez!

[Zorra]

21. Would you like to see the First Amendment modified so that public criticism of hate speech

could be banned?

[Atman]

23. WTF? Then John Boehner and Mitch McConnell would be serving life without parole.

[Eleanors38]

30. Free speech is offense as well as defense. Thanks.

[quinnox]

26. I hate the term "hate speech", it is orwellian

And often just an attempt to paint opinions that someone else disagrees with as some sort of crime.

I have said it before, and I'll say it again, to me, there is no such thing as "hate speech".

[Turbineguy]

27. Not really.

Hate speech is a choice that is better not made.

[Eleanors38]

28. Straight-forward. Thank you. nt

[dballance]

29. Too slippery a slope.

Opinions are strange things. I'd hate to how that would get twisted by the courts and by BOTH left and right wingers.

[elleng]

31. No,

as problem will be in defining whether a particular 'speech' is hate speech.

Sorry, intentions good, implementing not so much.

[840high]

32. no

[customerserviceguy]

33. I think you got an unequivocal answer. n/t

[Skip Intro]

34. Another Fuck No. n/t

[hughee99]

35. All speech I hate should be banned! n/t

[Dr. Strange]

36. Only the double plus ungood speech should be banned

[MrScorpio]

37. Absolutely not

Even fucking racist hateful bigoted assholes have rights too.

[NaturalHigh]

39. I honestly can't believe that someone voted yes.

[Nye Bevan]

40. kick