How To Spot And Critique Censorship Tropes In The Media’s Coverage Of Free Speech Controversies

Example: “hate speech is excluded from protection. dont [sic] just say you love the constitution . . . read it.” CNN Anchor Chris Cuomo, on Twitter, February 6, 2015.
Example: “I do not know if American courts would find much of what Charlie Hebdo does to be hate speech unprotected by the Constitution, but I know—hope?—that most Americans would.” Edward Schumacher-Matos, NPR, February 6, 2015.

In the United States, “hate speech” is an argumentative rhetorical category, not a legal one.

“Hate speech” means many things to many Americans. There’s no widely accepted legal definition in American law. More importantly, as Professor Eugene Volokh explains conclusively, there is no “hate speech” exception to the First Amendment. Americans are free to impose social consequences on ugly speech, but the government is not free to impose official sanctions upon it. In other words, even if the phrase “hate speech” had a recognized legal definition, it would still not carry legal consequences.

This is not a close or ambiguous question of law.

When the media frames a free speech story as an inquiry into whether something is “hate speech,” it’s asking a question of morals or taste poorly disguised as a question of law. It’s the equivalent of asking “is this speech rude?”

source: Popehat

 

Putting Homicide in Perspective vs. the Media’s ‘Atrocity Narrative’ Propaganda : The Other McCain

What causes gun violence in America? Liberalism and ignorance, but I repeat myself.

Obvious.

Source: Putting Homicide in Perspective vs. the Media’s ‘Atrocity Narrative’ Propaganda : The Other McCain

Why Obama Really Spied on Trump | Frontpage Mag

Obama and his allies had violated the norms so often for their policy goals that they couldn’t afford to be replaced by anyone but one of their own. The more Obama relied on the imperial presidency of executive orders, the less he could afford to be replaced by anyone who would undo them. The more his staffers lied and broke the law on everything from the government shutdown to the Iran nuke sellout, the more desperately they needed to pull out all the stops to keep Trump out of office. And the more they did it, the more they couldn’t afford not to do it. Abuse of power locks you into the loop familiar to all dictators. You can’t stop riding the tiger. Once you start, you can’t afford to stop.

Source: Why Obama Really Spied on Trump | Frontpage Mag

The Trace: Civilians Own 70 Times More Guns Than U.S. Police and Military Combined – The Truth About Guns

“She found that with an estimated 270 million firearms owned by everyday Americans, civilians own 70 times more weapons than all police and military services combined.” Boldly played sir! Only . . . police are civilians. Mind you, it’s a common mistake made by statists agitating for civilian disarmament.

We can do better! 100 times or more!

Source: The Trace: Civilians Own 70 Times More Guns Than U.S. Police and Military Combined – The Truth About Guns

More Devil’s Dictionary | The Z Blog

Toxic: Any argument or fact that can be screamed away, because it is obviously true, is called toxic. The users of this word believe that the magic of their incantations will make the dis-confirming thing go away. Normal men being normal in public, for example, is branded as “toxic masculinity.” White people not robbing liquor stores or shooting one another over sneakers is “toxic racism.”

Source: More Devil’s Dictionary | The Z Blog

JUST IN: State Voting To ABOLISH The Electoral College- Just One HUGE Problem

Americans have forgotten that our republic is a collection of independent sovereign States who created D.C. to represent their interests. The national popular vote movement takes Americans even further away from our original Constitutional structure and gives us even LESS of a voice, removing the independence f the states. It virtually removes the voice of the people within those states. This is essentially mob rule.

Source: JUST IN: State Voting To ABOLISH The Electoral College- Just One HUGE Problem