Spewing hate has been confused with free speech. I watched Glenn Becks special last Wednesday and I also watched the hour he dedicated to Israel's ex Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his insight to what is happening in the Middle East is without question. The teacher in Selma is a prime example of what he spoke of and how the extremists are taking advantage of the free societies of the world. To me, free speech is not a right but a privilege. In my opinion this teacher has crossed the line of privilege. Manipulating his personal opinions and hatred into a school project for children is exactly how it is done throughout the extremist communities in the Middle East. If this man chooses to be an activist that supports hatred and murder he does not deserve the privilege to teach in our school system and should be further scrutinized. If the people in this country continue to cover there eyes to what is coming and refuse to learn from history then we deserve what we get.
To me, free speech is not a right but a privilege. :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: I guess opinions like that is why the original states demanded that the protection of that RIGHT be written right into the constitution in the First Amendment. That does not, however, mean that the school district is required to pay him to impose his opinions upon a captive audience of students.
Amen Rockwell! What station and time is Glenn Beck on? I just heard of him through this YOUTUBE. Thanks Spunky
What I meant is that I consider it a privilege and have the utmost respect of the right to it. I am well aware of the technical meaning of it. read between the lines...will ya
Freedom of speech in this great country of ours is a RIGHT, not a priveledge. What one does NOT have the right to do is incite a crowd to violence under the pretense of free speech. The person in that video was trying (and succeeding at, I imagine) to incite a crowd, which he is not free to do in the US. I hope that a few crazed zealots half way around the world don't scare you into believing that we should give up our rights. I also hope that no one out there is sterotyping Muslims as being like the idiot in that video. Most Muslims follow a variation of the Golden Rule, as most Christians do. Keep in mind that the KKK spread hatred under the pretense of being Christians. For those of you who are Christians, how would you like it if you were compared to the KKK by non-Christians when they talked about you? (If you wouldn't mind, I don't want to know about it, so save your breath.) As for the teacher in Selma, if he was spreading hate messages through puzzles that were homework assignments, he was wrong and should be discliplined. But what he did was not a free speech issue. I'm sure it was also not effective in winning any young converts to that cause. Snuff
[quote="Snuffleufogous Well, whoever "they" are do not have the RIGHT to do that.[/quote] I was hoping to avoid this but I get the impression you think I am implying something by your use of "THEY" in such a manner, so let me be clear. I live my life based on mutual respect. I was raised to believe that racism and being close minded was the worst possible quality's a person could have. I was also taught not to bury my head in the sand and to be aware of my surroundings and not to be afraid to say it like it is and that decisions were made based on character...period. With that said, I will make one definitive distinction and that is the difference between good decent people and the low life hate mongers of the world. Regardless of religion, position, origin, or skin color they do exist. The topic of this thread is "Muslim Hate" and with all due respect if you will put aside your assumptions of my character for a second I will try to explain. You said in one post that we should not let a few zealots half way around the world influence the sacrifice of our rights here. There over one billion Muslims in the world and it is suggested that 1% of the Muslim population are extremists and will stop at nothing to destroy western civilization at any cost. Our rights will have little meaning if they are successful. 100 million people is far beyond a few, and just like the KKK and other hate groups they use all of OUR religions as a pretense for there extreme views and hatred, Am I happy about this??? No, but I will not excuse or ignore that it exists here and in every corner of the world. This is not paranoia, it is a fact and I am much too old to start worrying about my mortality at this point. If you choose to ignore this then that is your choice, but please don’t confuse reality with an assumption of bigotry. Respectfully
Whoa there Rockwell, I only put they in quotes because that is the word you used and I didn't know whom you were talking about. I assure you that the thought that you might be racist never even crossed my mind when I was making that response, and I had no intention of implying what you thought I implied. All I was saying is that, regardles of who is talking, he or she cannot incite violence and claim protection from the right to free speech. (You'll have to ask KDsGrandma or Wayne why that is.) And, since the Bill of Rights is one of the reasons we live in the best country ever (although it could be improved), I do not intend to give up any of those rights. If we did, then the hate mongers would achieve at least one of their goals, i.e. to scare us into changing who we are. In other words, it's not the rights or the ACLU that are the probelm. The problem is the behavior of the people who are spreading the hate. (I think you and I can agree on that last sentence at least.) Sorry about the ambiguity. I appreciate you stating your views and I respect your opinions. Also respectfully, Snuff
Thanks Snuf: I guess I got a little huffy...didnt mean to. I too, do not intend to give up the rights afforded me by this great country either. My reference to privilege was just a jesture of the respect I have for these rights, not to loose them, give them up or change them ever, sorry if I was not clear on that. You Said: The problem is the behavior of the people who are spreading the hate. (I think you and I can agree on that last sentence at least.) I could not agree with you more and now that we have muddled through all of each others text... LOL, it is likely we would agree on most things. I stood in NY on 911 and watched the planes hit and the buildings fall and lost friends in the aftermath. The next time will be worse and we have to own up and realize what we are up against. I respect your opinion as well and I thank you for your thoughts. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family
Thank you, Rockwell. I hope that you and your family had a happy Thanksgiving, too. 9/11 was very tense for me, too. I was here in NC at the time, but I worried all day about my cousin. Up until a couple of months before 9/11, he was working for a financial firm in the WTC. At the time, I didn't know he had left that job and was working in some other building in the area. It turned out, he was off that day anyway and wasn't even in the city. Another cousin was doing an internship in Manhatten and was nearby. He was not hurt, and he helped out with rescue efforts. I think that day had a profound effect on everyone; I know it was pretty solemn at work that day as we went about our business. I am sorry that you lost friends, and I am sorry for all the people who lost loved ones that day. We certainly need to work towards preventing anything like that from ever happening again. I'm sure there will always be debate on the best ways of doing that, as there should be. Snuff
