Should Terry Jones be arrested for inciting riots?

[Julius Seeker]

Background story: http://www.examiner.com/article/pastor- ... -and-egypt

This is a touchy subject in the US where freedom of speech, even freedom of hate-speech are valued. What happens when people who know well about the consequences - like Terry Jones who had been repeatedly warned by US politicians and army officials, that currently the situation is very volatile (with a lot of ideological fanatatics as a result), when he threatened to publicly burn Qu'Rans two years ago - and push hate speech which incites riots causing death? In this case, the US Ambassador in Libya.

Should free speech immunity include freedom of hate-speech which has the purpose of provoking riots and putting innocents in danger? It is not just provocation either, he is attempting to incite people against blacks, homosexuals, and others - going so far as depicting Obama hanging from a noose above the front gate into his Church. Is Terry Jones a hero of free speech? Or just a coward who spouts hatred without ever sticking his own neck out, but forcing the axe down on the necks of others?

[SineSwiper]

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo.



The simple fact of the matter is that we should not plan for riots to trump free speech. Period.

I'm sorry, but if I'm going to post some dumb picture of Mohammad, then that's my fucking right to. I shouldn't expect to the be executed for creating said picture, and the govt shouldn't tolerate violence on the subject.

Violence for something like that, even with the Islamic faith, is the act of extremists, not the grand majority.

Should free speech immunity include freedom of hate-speech which has the purpose of provoking riots and putting innocents in danger?

YES! This is not yelling "fire" in a crowded theater. This is like the KKK holding their rallies. And they have EVERY right to hold them.

Do I think they are scum? Yes. But it's also protected free speech. I don't want it to be like Germany where the mere symbols of Nazism are banned. It's counter productive and goes against everything the 1st Amendment stands for.

[Julius Seeker]

Nice points, I don't disagree with you - and feel that the root of the issue is fanaticism; but what do you feel should be done in the Middle East? Should the US pull out ambassadors in order to keep them safe? That might be counter productive in the passification process.

It is a fact that hate speech against Islam will incite the fanatics to violence - most common sense individuals know this and avoid this - but others obviously are lacking in sense and compassion for the people who are in danger as a result of the actions.

In a good world, freedom of speech should never result in violence - but it is the nature among many to be stirred to violence through speech - especially when it involves some sort of threat.

[Don]

I read that the Islamic countries live in a more controlled society and don't really understand that in US nobody really cares you make fun of just about anything. They'd actually pose a question like: "What if someone made fun of Jesus" even though that probably happens every day on the Internet somewhere.

[Eric]

That and when they see something like that made because they don't understand that they assume our government sanctions it.

[Don]

That and when they see something like that made because they don't understand that they assume our government sanctions it.

Well that's because everything in these countries is sanctioned by the government so the notion of people making whatever they want is foreign.

I had an old Doraemon fan made dojin about how aliens landed on earth and then immediately declared war on humanity after coming across mecha sci-fi manga, since it clearly shows Earthlings as a hostile species to all alien lifeforms. It's pretty much like that.

[Julius Seeker]

That and when they see something like that made because they don't understand that they assume our government sanctions it.

Flashback of Utopia Age 7, when what's his face from the #1 Kingdom attacked my Kingdom a few times, so we demolished his entire Kingdom and killed his King =P

[SineSwiper]

TRMS covered this yesterday, specifically as to why people protest over this stuff:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#49027304

Richard's answer on 3:10 and the next question, especially.