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You mean like how the KKK and WBC were brutally subjugated by the U.S. government for their hateful speech? That kind of thing?
by mpyne 13y ago
You mean like how the KKK and WBC were brutally subjugated by the U.S. government for their hateful speech? That kind of thing?
- AnthonyMouse 13y agoInvoking the KKK is the First Amendment equivalent of Godwin's Law. We let idiots have their stupid rallies because it's not the government's job to decide who gets to speak, and because the laws you would like to use against the KKK or WBC end up getting used against Malcolm X or Occupy protestors at a different time or in a different part of the country. And just to remind everyone, the reason we're worried about chilling effects and anonymous speech is that you don't want the first person to write anything challenging corrupt power structures to get indicted with "throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" charges backstopped by prolific surveillance, or have their house burned down by ideological opponents who use government powers to discover dissidents and are subsequently never prosecuted. Not only does that allow the injustice of corrupt power retaliating against activists for good, there is a real risk that the retaliation will be an effective deterrent to future activists.