The fighting words doctrine, in United States constitutional law, is a limitation to freedom of speech as granted in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. In its 9-0 decision, Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire (1942), the U.S. Supreme Court established the doctrine and held that "insulting or 'fighting words', those that by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace" are among the "well-defined and narrowly limited classes of speech [which] the prevention and punishment of...have never been thought to raise any constitutional problem."
Though that decision has been subsequently narrowed it still stands.
Any reasonable person would (and many here already have) vehemently oppose physical threats against Joe Lieberman for his political views - but just what do you say about someone who says that one of our veterans should be stomped like a cockroach!??
What would she say about the active duty soldiers who just spoke out in the New York Times about the Surge?
The claim that we are increasingly in control of the battlefields in Iraq is an assessment arrived at through a flawed, American-centered framework. [...]
In the end, we need to recognize that our presence may have released Iraqis from the grip of a tyrant, but that it has also robbed them of their self-respect. They will soon realize that the best way to regain dignity is to call us what we are — an army of occupation — and force our withdrawal.
Would she follow Ann Coulter's lead and suggest he should be fragged?
Would she suggest that this soldier should be added to the kind of hit list that right-wing extremists have put out against doctors they disagree with?
The identities of three of the seven doctors murdered in the past 10 years were listed on websites; there have been a further 17 attempted murders. Many such doctors now wear disguises and bullet-proof vests, live in fortified houses and vary their journeys to work.
One of those websites happened to belong to one of the right-wings recent media darlings - Randall Terry - but I certainly didn't see Morgan or Hannity distance themselves from him, did you?
Would Morgan similarly agree with real hate groups who gloated when a left-wing Judge was murdered?
"Well, I for one hope this was the work of some 'lone wolf' targeting those who aid or support or have connections with someone involved in acting against our race, or someone who has acted against those -- like Matt Hale -- who have stood up for our race."
The message concludes, "Let's hope it's only the beginning."
How about the actions of rabid right-wing anti-abortionist Eric Robert Rudolph who bombed the Atlanta Olympics, killed two people and injured 110?
Is this the kind of "Coachroach Stomping" you were talking about Melanie?
You know what these people are? They're Terrorists!
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