Sloppy Headline of the Day
The headline:
Ohio man sentenced for writing racial hate letters
He pleaded guilty in May to six counts of mailing threatening communications and two counts of threatening interstate communications.
“Hate” and “threatening” are two very different words — especially in the context of criminal prosecutions. “Hate” is not a crime — “threatening” is.
This is exactly the kind of sloppiness that feeds right into anti-gay bigots’ talking points. The gays are going to outlaw opposition to their radical agenda. Evangelical preachers will be arrested up for their anti-gay sermons. Parents who contradict a school’s diversity training will have their kids taken away by the authorities. Churches will be required by law to perform same-sex “marriages” (can’t leave out the scare quotes). And so on.
It’s quite simple really: Hate all you want. Just don’t act on it or incite others to act on it.
Is that really too much to ask?
Previously:
–On Hate Crime Legislation
–CRS Recommendation: Constitutional Limits on Hate Crime Legislation
–Faux-Federalist President to Veto Hate Crimes Bill
–A Gay-On-Gay Hate Crime?
Filed under: First Amendment - Speech, Gay Rights and Issues, Law
Gotta love the First Amendment, huh?
Hey… did you switch to WordPress? I just noticed something was different.
The media is relentlessly sub-literate in reporting anything legal.