Freedom of speech or abuse of freedom?

Warrigal

Warrigal

SF VIP
Location
Sydney, Australia
I came across this issue via a tweet from one of our senior barristers. It raises questions in my mind about the application of the 1st and 2nd amendments to the US Constitution. Open carry of heavy weaponry at an anti Muslim rally outside a mosque is a serious threat to public order IMO. Luckily no-one was hurt but how many young men inside the mosque were turned towards radical Islam by this ugly incident?

A quote from the article from a source that may or may not be reliable, however the photos alone are very revealing.

The question I would like to pose to the organizer is this: If Muslims showed up to surround a Christian church during prayer time, armed to the teeth, wearing “**** Jesus” t-shirts, while yelling out demeaning remarks, what would you think of them?
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Full article http://freakoutnation.com/2015/05/i...he-us-with-assault-rifles-during-prayer-time/

Other media covering the same incident

CNN : http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/31/opinions/obeidallah-anti-muslim-rally/

Muslim village: http://muslimvillage.com/2015/05/31/82159/armed-anti-islam-protest-counter-protest-phoenix-mosque/

Newsweek http://www.newsweek.com/rally-outside-phoenix-mosque-337668

I can't evaluate these media outlets which is why I'm posting multiple links.
 

I'm kind of at a loss for words on this one. To come up with a statement about the hateful behaviour of that anti-Muslim group would require sinking to their level in a sense because I'm feeling such a sense of anger and nausea. I think I'd rather focus on the loving and courageous act of the people who spoke up on behalf of the Muslim membership. What a bunch of wonderful people!
 
I am not proud to say it happened here in my county. Ugly and totally un-American. I am ashamed of us. Thank you rightwing Supreme Court for your interpretation of the constitution allowing these nutcases freedom to threaten and intimidate others.
 

I think both Debby and Jim expressed very well my sentiments about this ugly incident.

Does anyone doubt the reaction if the hypothetical rowdy armed Muslims did demonstrate outside a Christian church. That there is enough irony surrounding this "what if" situation to fill Lake Mead would be totally lost on these people.
 
I have always thought that the surest way to lose a freedom is to abuse it. Whether we are talking about freedom of speech or just the privilege of paid sick days at work, we should value hard won freedoms and treat them with the respect and honour that they deserve. At school I was taught that there is a big difference between freedom and licence.
 
AZ Jim said:
I am not proud to say it happened here in my county. Ugly and totally un-American. I am ashamed of us. Thank you rightwing Supreme Court for your interpretation of the constitution allowing these nutcases freedom to threaten and intimidate others.
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Every country has skeletons Jim. A six year study was just completed here on the Catholic run residential schools that our government dumped native children in for decades. The idea was to take the 'Indian out of the child'. The last school was only closed in 1992. The official numbers of dead children are about 3200 but apparently they just quit counting and there is an estimate that as many as 6,000 children died in them. They were subjected to terrible sexual abuses, physical abuses, disease was rampant, hunger....people are people and some of them can be just horrible.

The situation in the OP is more current, but I guess overall, humanity hasn't evolved very far yet.
 
Oz has similar stories about the "stolen generations" of Aboriginal children.
Saddest of all is that people believed they were doing the right thing by the mixed race children.
 

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