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Speaking of which, this hit the news today: https://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/nation/he-says-his-mass-shooting-threat-was-a-joke-his/article_62696a4b-8a5d-5

Speaking of which, this hit the news today: https://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/nation/he-says-his-mass-shooting-threat-was-a-joke-his/article_62696a4b-8a5d-5618-9373-b472320e79e6.html https://www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/nation/he-says-his-mass... excerpt: The case promises to have widespread implications beyond Puy’s felony prosecution. It’s become the first major test of a law strengthened partly in response to the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High. At issue: Just what makes a written threat illegal? And are all young people and others who make fake threats about mass shootings — it happens on a fairly regular basis — in serious trouble?

bilbo0s 7y ago
Yeah. I just tell the young people I work with to not even go there. If someone tries to goad you into something, just don't say it, it's too risky right now. I mean, a prosecution is some chance at getting the laws relaxed I suppose? But the judges and potentially even the jurors all have kids sitting in those classrooms too. So I just don't see it as a particularly fair way to assess the appropriateness of certain laws. I really believe the various legislatures, in the end, will need to try to recalibrate some of this. (Though I realize that's not likely to happen either. I just think it's slightly more likely than relying on courts that have repeatedly held that yelling fire in a crowded theater, or talking about bombs at airports is not protected speech.)
- bradyd 7y ago
  > relying on courts that have repeatedly held that yelling fire in a crowded theater That phrase was used in a court case to (successfully) justify censoring someone protesting the draft during WWI [1]. We should be skeptical of any limitations on free speech because they will be abused to stifle legitimate speech. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shouting_fire_in_a_crowded_theater https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shouting_fire_in_a_crowded_the...

bilbo0s 7y ago

Yeah. I just tell the young people I work with to not even go there. If someone tries to goad you into something, just don't say it, it's too risky right now. I mean, a prosecution is some chance at getting the laws relaxed I suppose? But the judges and potentially even the jurors all have kids sitting in those classrooms too. So I just don't see it as a particularly fair way to assess the appropriateness of certain laws. I really believe the various legislatures, in the end, will need to try to recalibrate some of this. (Though I realize that's not likely to happen either. I just think it's slightly more likely than relying on courts that have repeatedly held that yelling fire in a crowded theater, or talking about bombs at airports is not protected speech.)

bradyd 7y ago
> relying on courts that have repeatedly held that yelling fire in a crowded theater That phrase was used in a court case to (successfully) justify censoring someone protesting the draft during WWI [1]. We should be skeptical of any limitations on free speech because they will be abused to stifle legitimate speech. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shouting_fire_in_a_crowded_theater https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shouting_fire_in_a_crowded_the...