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Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by mc32 on Thursday September 02, 2021 @10:02AM (#28392128)
What consequences should there be for exercising the right to free speech? What say aclu?
Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by jcranmer on Thursday September 02, 2021 @10:42AM (#28392660)
Parallel to freedom of speech is freedom of association. The consequence to exercising your right to free speech is that other people might decide you're too horrible a person to work with.

Consider this hypothetical situation. Imagine your favorite actor comes out with some really, really horrible political views, like women should be the chattel slaves of their male guardians. For a lot of people, even maybe you yourself, discovering this about a person is going to heavily color your views not only of him but of other things he does, and you're not going to enjoy seeing films he stars in any more. Since the film studios aren't idiots, he's going to be essentially blacklisted from any future roles. There's the consequences.

Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by neurobashing on Thursday September 02, 2021 @10:18AM (#28392317)
well for example there is no law against standing in a public square, be it physical or virtual, and screaming racial epithets. The government cannot forbid it, and within certain limitations (eg "disruption of the peace") they cannot stop someone from doing it with law or force. It is free and protected speech, albeit abhorrent.

However there is no law against our hypothetical racist being uninvited from the opening of an art gallery whose first exhibition is the work of african-american artists. It is a private organization who does not want to associate with someone.

Or to put it simply: it's OK to downvote someone. That's how communities work!

Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by mc32 on Thursday September 02, 2021 @10:32AM (#28392537)
I would agree with the above.

I don't like radical anti-abortionists who camp out at abortion clinics, but I recognize we all have this right. I wish they would pursue their goals more civilly, they would likely get some sympathy if they were humane about it, for example.

Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by adamrezich on Thursday September 02, 2021 @12:16PM (#28393921)
what's more civil than peacefully protesting?
Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by krapp on Thursday September 02, 2021 @12:22PM (#28393994)
Radical anti-abortionists also harass and intimidate people (while "peacefully" protesting,) bomb abortion clinics and kill doctors.

That's probably what mc32 is referring to.

Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by mc32 on Thursday September 02, 2021 @12:46PM (#28394320)
I think you misunderstood me. By radical I don't mean criminals. I mean people who go to extreme but legal tactics to promote their cause, as you point out, they use intimidating tactics. Personally, I think this works against them. Just like shouting and intimidating people works against antifa.

Non radical anti abortionists are most moms and dads who prefer not to abort but don't go out there and agitate.

Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by adamrezich on Thursday September 02, 2021 @12:37PM (#28394196)
how did you get "bomb abortion clinics and kill doctors" from "camp out at abortion clinics"?
Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by krapp on Thursday September 02, 2021 @12:40PM (#28394231)
I got there from "radical anti-abortionists," and the context of the rest of the comment.

edit: but apparently I misinterpreted the comment so mea culpa, my bar for "radical" is different than mc32's.

Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by detaro on Thursday September 02, 2021 @12:23PM (#28394007)
presumably they are talking about the ones that "peacefully" scream "murderer" at people in an already stressful and emotionally painful situation. Legal, yes. Civil? ehh....
Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by effingwewt on Thursday September 02, 2021 @12:40PM (#28394233)
This is in effect stopping people from even going to a public place and speaking.

It boils down to this: if you think wrongly you aren't allowed to speak. We have all been down this rabbit hole before, none of this is new, it never works out well.

[dead]
Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by mc32 on Thursday September 02, 2021 @10:28AM (#28392484)
I think we can all agree we vehemently disagree with people who threaten our existence. We still do not have a right to inflict physical violence upon those who are voicing their opinions, no matter how vile they are. Now, of course you may be rightfully upset and unwind, but that is not a protected right.

If you disagree with the above, I'm afraid it's a misunderstanding of the intentions of the first amendment to the US constitution.

Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by ohgodplsno on Thursday September 02, 2021 @05:15PM (#28397437)
The first amendment to the US Constitution only applies to the US Government. The government cannot prevent you from spewing your bile. It in no way applies to interactions between individual citiizens. You a dreadfully mistaken if you think it's a free pass because "muh free speech".

Additionally, hate speech is also violence, and you cannot hide behind free speech to say "but look, you're doing physical violence to me". So, yeah, beat up nazis.

[dead]
Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by ohgodplsno on Thursday September 02, 2021 @05:17PM (#28397464)
No, it's self defense. Especially not when the actual nazis are the ones committing acts of terrorism in your very own country.
Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by gruez on Thursday September 02, 2021 @08:23PM (#28399073)
1. someone holding up a racist sign at a protest doesn't mean they're going to go around committing violence against minorities. You're going to have a hard time convincing a judge that falls under "self defense".

2. You'd be fine if republicans commit "self defense" by punching ANTIFA and BLM activists, right?

Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by ohgodplsno on Friday September 03, 2021 @01:53AM (#28400847)
lmao are you both sides-ing literal Nazis with BLM and antifas? (No, not ANTIFA. anarchists do not make organisations like that. We do like our meetings though). You're not even arguing in good faith, go dogwhistle somewhere else.
Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by hellcow on Thursday September 02, 2021 @10:16AM (#28392297)
Is this a serious comment?

Of course there's consequences for your speech. Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from consequence.

If you're an outspoken Nazi, you have the right to your speech, but I have the right to not interact with you, and companies have the right not to serve you. Those are consequences of your speech.

Freedom of speech means you won't be arrested for it, not that everyone needs to listen.

Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by gruez on Thursday September 02, 2021 @10:20AM (#28392369)
>If you're an outspoken Nazi, you have the right to your speech, but I have the right to not interact with you, and companies have the right not to serve you. Those are consequences of your speech.

So you'd be fine if amazon refused to serve you because you're a pro-union sympathizer, right?

Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by mc32 on Thursday September 02, 2021 @10:24AM (#28392430)
Oh, no! No, that's different. That... that... Just do as I say, and we'll all be okay, I know the right path, follow me to perdition.
Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by mc32 on Thursday September 02, 2021 @10:22AM (#28392405)
This is getting very Stalin-esque. Sure, you have many rights in the constitution, but if you actually exercise them then you suffer unwritten consequences. The Soviet constitution granted citizens more rights then the US constitution does us, but it was just worthless promises.

I can't believe people don't see the similarity and are willingly going down this path. It's so blindingly obvious that it's the same tactic used in Stalinism, Maoism and McCarthyism but people gleefully want to wrap their arms around it.

Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by JumpCrisscross on Thursday September 02, 2021 @10:13AM (#28392255)
> What consequences should there be for exercising the right to free speech?

None. For organizing a violent insurrection? Several.

Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by mc32 on Thursday September 02, 2021 @10:19AM (#28392346)
If there were people who organized a violent movement to overthrow the government, they should be prosecuted. Just like organizers who organized the burning of police stations should be investigated and prosecuted. However, I don't think we should prosecute people for having attended an event that got co-opted and where they had no intent on participating in an insurrection or burning police stations.
Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by kyuudou on Thursday September 02, 2021 @10:32AM (#28392549)
What if the FBI had a large part in organizing such a movement? Should they be prosecuted too?
Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by mc32 on Thursday September 02, 2021 @10:35AM (#28392595)
You know, the FBI has a long history of provocation. Yes, they should be prosecuted. Often times they enlist people who are very malleable and little education or have mental issues. I think it's a shame this happens and I wish we had an administration with the guts to put an end to this kind of entrapment.
Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by JumpCrisscross on Thursday September 02, 2021 @10:21AM (#28392375)
> I don't think we should prosecute people for having attended an event that got co-opted and where they had no intent on participating in an insurrection or burning police stations

Totally agreed. Notably, nobody has suggested this. And nobody has, at least so far, been prosecuted for being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by CrazyPyroLinux on Thursday September 02, 2021 @11:12AM (#28393045)
"wrong place" meaning "inside the capitol at all" but certainly non-violent: https://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2021/06/23/capitol...
Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by JumpCrisscross on Thursday September 02, 2021 @11:46AM (#28393532)
“Wrong place” in my comment meant you were at the rally and went along with it. At the point you’re storming a federal building, you should know you’re breaking all manner of laws.
Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by slumdev on Thursday September 02, 2021 @12:29PM (#28394094)
How can you storm a building when the police are holding the door open for you and ushering you in?
Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by slumdev on Thursday September 02, 2021 @01:53PM (#28395187)
And you would use the actions of a few agents provocateurs to smear the rest of the peaceful protestors who were let in by police?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiF4EIReuY4

Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by krapp on Thursday September 02, 2021 @02:18PM (#28395463)
Your implication that they were "agents provocateurs to smear the rest of the peaceful protestors" is lacking evidence, where there is plenty of evidence, both in testimony and captured communications from various groups of protestors intent on committing violence and mayhem, to the contrary.

At best, those "peaceful" protestors (who somehow in their naive purity managed not to be able to read the vibe of a crowd that erected a noose and gallows outside the White House, or notice the rioting, broken doors and tear gas) are still at least guilty of trespassing, and some of vandalism.

Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by slumdev on Thursday September 02, 2021 @03:35PM (#28396366)
Trespassing charges would be thrown out immediately if they were ever presented to a jury. The police exercised apparent authority when they ushered the crowd in, giving them permission and the right to enter.

Vandalism would only apply to those who stole or defaced something, certainly not the majority.

And neither of these charges justifies holding a political prisoner for 6+ months without trial, as the US government has done.

Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by krapp on Thursday September 02, 2021 @06:33PM (#28398212)
>Trespassing charges would be thrown out immediately if they were ever presented to a jury. The police exercised apparent authority when they ushered the crowd in, giving them permission and the right to enter.

I'll let the Justice Department know they can drop all charges because slumdev from the internet has rendered their verdict.

>Vandalism would only apply to those who stole or defaced something, certainly not the majority.

The majority didn't enter the Capitol, and the majority haven't been charged with anything. If your assertion is that people are being arrested and charged with simply being there the actual criminal charges levied prove otherwise[0,1]. People who have been accused of committing actual crimes are being charged for those crimes.

>And neither of these charges justifies holding a political prisoner for 6+ months without trial, as the US government has done.

They aren't political prisoners. They aren't being persecuted for their political beliefs. Most people charged are out on bail, and the ones who aren't are the ones charged with serious crimes.

[0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_charges_brought_in_th...

[1]https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/six-months-january-6th-attac...

Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by tomp on Thursday September 02, 2021 @10:33AM (#28392564)
It's similar to college rape accusations.

If the accusation is true, then it's a crime and the punishment should be much more severe. If the accusation is false, then it's a non-issue (and clearly not a crime), and there should be no punishment.

Big tech and universities do not have the skills, experience, resources or obligation to resolve the question of guilt clearly and fairly. Let's leave that to the courts.

Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by UncleMeat on Thursday September 02, 2021 @06:21PM (#28398111)
That’d be easier to say if the track record on dealing with the police with rape wasn’t so awful.
Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by tomp on Friday September 03, 2021 @04:43AM (#28401808)
So your solution is to set up another institution with an awful track record?
Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by gruez on Thursday September 02, 2021 @10:18AM (#28392330)
Sites were being deplatformed before the "violent insurrection" though.
Re:Gab.com’s Response to Congress by Finnucane on Thursday September 02, 2021 @10:18AM (#28392319)
Depends on what you are saying. If you make a credible threat against someone, you can be held criminally liable for that. If you libel someone, they can sue you. Free speech means that you have a right to say what you want and the government can't block you from doing so. There's a very high legal bar for prior restraint. After the fact there are circumstances in which you could be in legal trouble.