There are a few attorneys out there who actually deserve the monicker, "First Amendment Lawyer".  Their dean is undoubtedly Floyd Abrams, who shreds an execrable opinion piece from the New York Times on the upcoming Supreme Court case on whether the makers of the film Hillary: The Movie should be hamstrung by campaign finance laws.  Writers at the New York Times, who also have corporate backing, are free to influence elections and broadcast their opinions as loudly as anyone in the world.  They just don't see why you should enjoy that freedom as well.

Of course there are more traditional limits to the First Amendment, and one of them is that serious communication of threats is illegal.  Memo to Jeffrey Weaver, who is accused of threatening to kill the family of the BART officer who shot Oscar Grant on New Years:  The internet is a poor medium for satire, irony, and other communications that aren't meant to be taken seriously.  If you really meant your threats as hyperbole or some other protected form of speech, it was probably a bad idea to conclude your post with, "THIS ISN'T A THREAT IT'S A F**KING PROMISE."

Something tells me that talk radio host Hal Turner is going to run up against the same limits that Jeffrey Weaver faced.  After announcing that federal judges Frank Easterbrook, Richard Posner and William Bauer should be killed, and that "their blood will replenish the tree of liberty. A small price to pay to assure freedom for millions," Turner posted a map of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals building, with the bomb barricades diagrammed, on his website.  That little added touch may seal the deal for Turner.  We'll be watching the case as it develops.

Des Moines Iowa is scrambling to find a new advertiser for it municipal bus system.  It seems an ad reading, "Don't believe in God? You are not alone," is unacceptable in the Hartford of the West, though churches have and will continue to advertise on city buses.  According to the bus system's development officer, "We've had churches advertise but it's been for their church and not a belief."

Riiiiight.

The Iowa Civil Liberties Union is taking an intense interest in the case.  I suspect God is secure enough in Himself that He will decline to intervene should litigation arise.

Last 5 posts by Patrick

• It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year - January 2nd, 2012
• Finally, An "Occupy Fucktard Street" Protest For All The Fucktards Who've Been Feeling Left Out - December 29th, 2011
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