Guest Post by Robby Soave
Spoiler: Hate speech actually is protected.
Chris Cuomo is co-host of CNN’s morning show. He’s also a former law and justice correspondent for ABC News. He has a law degree from Fordham University and is a licensed attorney. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is his brother.
In other words, this is somebody you’d expect would know what he’s talking about on the subject of basic constitutional facts. And yet:
This was in response to the shooting outside Pamela Geller’s “Draw Muhammad” cartoon contest event in Garland, Texas. According to Cuomo, Geller and her ilk might not have a First Amendment right to express anti-Muslim speech deemed hateful—it says so, right there in the Constitution, if we would bother to read it.
Okay, let’s take Cuomo’s challenge. Let’s read the speech part of the Constitution. (I hope this doesn’t take too long; I hate reading.) Oh, good, the speech stuff is right there at the beginning of the “things you can do” section:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
My copy of the Constitution seems to be missing this fabled “except hate speech, none of that” clause.
As it turns out, the Supreme Court has consistently interpreted the First Amendment to protect all kinds of odious speech, including speech perceived to be hateful. Constitutional speech protections wouldn’t be very strong if they did not include hate speech, since one person’s statement of hate is another’s statement of truth. “George Bush is a war criminal” might be construed as a hateful statement if you’re George Bush, after all.
There are indeed limits on the First Amendment; the Supreme Court has held that “fighting words” and incitements to specific and imminent violence are not protected. But as recently as 2011, the Court ruled 8-1 that the Westboro Baptist Church had a First Amendment right to picket a military funeral and wave signs that read “You’re going to hell” and “Thank God for dead soldiers.”
In other words, it doesn’t look like the Court is ready to undertake some vast reinterpretation of the First Amendment that would possibly justify the claims of the “hate speech isn’t protected” brigade.
So in response to Cuomo, I would say this: Don’t just say you love the Constitution, man. Read it!
Ken White of Popehat (I first typed “Popehate,” so hang on to your speech rights, Ken) has a terrific response to a similarly awful McClatchy piece that raises questions about the limits of free speech—questions like, shouldn’t we limit free speech?
People can’t be this stupid. Maybe his twitter was hacked? After all, CNN is a reputable outfit only hiring the best and the brightest.
Chris Cuomo is a fuckin’ dago, goomba, grease ball, guinea, wop, jabonee, spaghetti slurping cock sucking piece of shit. And those are his good points.
People are this stupid and we are pretty fucked. The goat fuckers are going to cause serious problems because morons like Cuomo are weak and don’t understand basic principles like the 1st amendment. You protect hate speech even if it infuriates you. Polite speech needs no protection cause no one gets upset by it. Sticks and stones…..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYCfP4Eg1B4
Isn’t hate just a strong version of dislike? If hate speech is illegal than shouldn’t any speech expressing not liking something or someone also be illegal? At what point does dislike become hate?
If it is illegal to hate someone than it is illegal to not like someone, yeah that makes a lot of sense.
Chris Cuomo: Yale undergrad + Fordham law degree. And they mock Scott Walker for dropping out of Marquette? If it weren’t for Llpoh, I’d think that an Ivy degree is inversely related to common fucking sense. I’m no fan of Jebito Bush, but at least he went to UT, Austin. Can you imagine how much worse he’d be if he were a Yalie?
Why Does the Left Get to Decide What’s Offensive?
By Rush Limbaugh
The militant Islamists command us not to draw cartoons or any other kind of picture of the prophet Mohammed, and our Drive-By Media and Democrat Party readily agree, “Ain’t no way that should happen! It offends them, and we shouldn’t do it. And when anybody does, and they get shot at, it’s their fault.” To which I ask, “Well, now, wait a minute. The same militant Islamists who do not permit the drawing of pictures of the prophet Mohammed also do not permit homosexuality and do not permit gay marriage.”
And we know what their attitudes toward women are.
Why don’t we respect those? Can you imagine? If you turn on MSNBC, all you’re gonna see, given the day — maybe not every day, but the odds are, at least a portion of the day — you’re gonna see a total devotion to the concept of gay marriage. Isn’t that insulting to the Muslims who would be watching? Would it not then be understandable if the Muslims watching take some kind of action against MSNBC for offending them?
They’re not tolerant of gay marriage.
They’re not tolerant of homosexuality, and you turn on MSNBC or CNN or any other Drive-By Media outlet and all you get is total support for it. Is that not offending our Muslim friends in the viewing audience? Why is there no concern for that? When people draw cartoons of “the prophet,” it’s, “Oh, Rush that’s intolerable! You can’t accept it. You gotta stop! Oh, my God, that’s horrible!” But we can taunt them with gay marriage, and we can taunt them with women’s rights and feminazism, and we can taunt them with homosexuality, and we are somehow not concerned about how that offends them?
My question is: Where do we draw the line on this?
There is no such thing as “hate speech”.
There is only “speech”.
“Hate speech” was invented by the po-mo progtards to silence anyone they didn’t agree with… which is usually someone speaking the truth or common sense…
The more I watch the radical adherents of Islam in action, the more convinced I am that Islam is, at least in part, a bogus religion not worthy of respect by people outside its sphere of influence. A case could be made that the parts of it that enable campaigns of hatred and terror should be decertified as not being an appropriate part of any major faith. The silence of Islamic leaders in the face of terrorism, murder and expressed hatred/disregard for ‘infidels’ is deafening and very telling. These are not the actions of people who claim to love God.
Everywhere Muslims move to.They cause trouble.They just can’t adapt to the modern western world.I have seen reports from France and Britain. They seem to like chopping off heads.
Our country would be better off if we deported all the Muslims and get rid of their churches.
I guess my first thought on this was when i was reading the Quran and got to the part about death to infidels and nonbelievers. If you disagree with me,Just move to the middle east and open a Christian church. Good luck with staying alive.
You don’t have to like what i say,But i have the right to say it. “Will at least for the moment”
Many have fought and died to keep us all free.And there’s that Constitution thing that Obama supporters seem to hate.
Someone call 9-1-1 to check on Admin. Why? He posted a Rush Limburger article! Admin must be on his death bed.
All over the world they are passing laws making “hate speech” illegal. Call someone a nigger – go to jail. Call them a home – go to jail. Call them a raghead – go to jail.
Interestingly, if you are a raghead,homo, nigger, etc., – you can say whatever you want and you do not go to jail.
Seems that minorities get a free pass to say/do whatever they want, because they are so aggrieved, and well, therefore, the hate laws do not apply to them – minorities cannot be racist/homophobes/etc.
You cannot make this shit up.
I have no doubt whatsoever that Free Speech will be limited, same as has the right to bear arms, etc. It is coming, and it is coming fast.
If you want to call someone a nigger or homo or a dirty redskin, best do it now, before it become illegal.
Dislike + fear = hate.
Look up Nazi + Skokie, Illinois.
Cuomo’s problem is due to a shortage of Ex-Lax.
Cuomo is an idiot, the son of an idiot and the grandson of an idiot. Typical product of a Northeastern liberal upbringing. Poop on him.
I read the Constitution again this morning…..I couldn’t find the right not to be offended amendment. Does anyone know which one it is.