A bad free speech decision

Another court case over at Volokh. Bible Believers v. Wayne County (6th Cir. Aug. 27, 2014). Some true believer bible thumpers went a-preaching at a huge Michigan Arab festival. They got balls, even if they might be shy a few common sense points.

Any-hoo, they carried their signs, wore their shirts, did their preaching. The Muslims assembled took offense, and a lot of their kids (naturally) started getting actively hostile (always use kids, so if the cops crack heads it makes for good propaganda videos). The cops told the Bible Believers to shut up or leave. The Bible believers said they had first amendment rights. The cops said “leave or we’ll arrest you for disorderly.” The court agreed. Reading the decision excerpts, the court has an argument, but I think the defense / dissent (the Bible Believers) has a much stronger argument.

Be a good case to appeal, especially if they win. If they don’t, then the incentive is for the hostile Muslims to get REALLY hostile to shut down opposition.

Incentives are important.

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6 thoughts on “A bad free speech decision

      • So… You are OK with incentivizing Muslims to radicalize and get violent in order to encourage the state to crush their opponents for them? Really? You DO know that radical Islam isn’t really down with that whole peace, love, women’s rights, gay rights, let’s get along, thing, right?

    • No kidding. But please read the arguments. It’s not long.
      Those in support of the decision are not unreasonable. But those in the dissent are devastating, in my opinion. They really point out the incentives this decision puts in place, and they are scary-easy to abuse in any state that has an inclination toward leaning toward a police state. It’s potential to stifle dissent via the heckler’s veto is huge. It is, quite literally, an invitation on behalf of “favored groups” to be violent.

    • So a Jewish group counter-protesting a Neo-Nazi rally isn’t protected? Any group counter-protesting the Westboro Baptist Church isn’t protected? How about a group protesting the influence of SEIU? How about a Tea Party Rally? Where does it stop?

  1. Islam is all about domination by violence. End of story.
    Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile (and leave your beheaded corpse along the way.

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