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In reply to the discussion: Can We Stop Saying "Pam Geller Has Free Speech?" [View all]The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,674 posts)to say just about any damn hateful, nasty thing they want without interference or suppression by the government. There are a few narrow restrictions relating to time, place and manner; and the Supreme Court has also held that some speech can be prosecuted when it poses a danger of "imminent lawless action." Pamela Geller's disgusting, provocative little escapade does not fall into even that category, although one might wonder whether it could be considered a form of stochastic terrorism. But I think we can all agree that the government does not have the power to stop her from saying what she says, as reprehensible as it is.
But I also have the right to condemn and deplore everything that comes out of her mouth. This is not "blaming the victim," as some have said, nor is it an attempt to restrict her right to express her foul bigotry. Fuck the shooters for their fanaticism, but fuck Pam Geller, too.