Hate Speech Isn't Free Speech

I am all about Free Speech; I have opinions, boy oh boy, do I have opinions, and I like the idea that I can share them, here, in the blog-o-sphere, as well as in the real world. And, yes, I even like opinions that differ from mine because I think that sparks discussion, which sparks learning and, can, spark change.

But there’s a thin line between Free Speech and Hate Speech; and Hate Speech isn’t free … it costs. It costs someone part of his-or herself; it costs people their self-respect; it costs people their sanity; and, it can cost people their lives.

On the heels of last week’s mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, last week Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr., son of the late religious right leader Jerry Falwell Sr., while giving the convocation at the Christian school, urged his students to carry weapons on campus:

“It just blows my mind that the president of the United States [says] that the answer to circumstances like that is more gun control. If some of those people in that community center had what I have in my back pocket right now … Is it illegal to pull it out? I don’t know, [but] I’ve always thought that if more good people had concealed-carry permits, then we could end those Muslims before they walked in ….”

The rest of that sentence was drowned out by loud cheering from the Christians students though Falwell was heard saying, “and killed them.” Yes, he urged his students, his Christian students, to get a gun, carry a gun, and use a gun to kill Muslims. Yup, a man of God urging people to murder, not terrorists, mind you, but people of a different faith because ... here we go again:

Muslims aren't terrorists; terrorists.

Now, he might say he meant “kill Muslims” when they attack us, but what happens when just one of his flock decides he doesn’t want to wait until the Muslims attack and he, or she, goes on a shooting spree because Jerry Falwell, Jr. urged it?

And Falwell went on:

“I just wanted to take this opportunity to encourage all of you to get your permit. We offer a free course. Let’s teach them a lesson if they ever show up here.”

And naturally, as his remarks went viral, Falwell tried to back-step, saying that when he referred to “those Muslims,” he was referring to Islamic terrorists, but that’s not what he said; 

“[If] more good people had concealed-carry permits, then we could end those Muslims before they walked in … ”

And then he said if given the chance to say it again, he’d say the exact same thing.

Kill. Muslims. Falwell said his comments have generated the most positive comments he has ever received for remarks made during convocation, but I wonder how the 15 to 20 Muslim students — and yes, some Muslims do attend Liberty University — feel about his remarks.

Hate Speech; it’s not free if it costs someone their dignity, their soul, their life. And if even one Muslim student, or one Muslim American, is harmed or killed by someone who listened to Jerry Falwell Jr. and his Hate Speech masked as Free Speech masked as convocation, I would hope that the government steps in and arrest him for aiding and abetting a murderer because that’s what his kind of speech can do.

And he’s not the only one …

On the heels of that terrorist attack in San Bernardino — now believed to have been carried out by radicalized adherents to ISIS ideology — the spread of anti-Muslim Hate Speech is on the rise, from the son of evangelists, and university presidents, to a man who would like to, one day, be the President of the United States.

Last week, former New York governor, and long, long, shot for the GOP presidential nomination, George Pataki, used Twitter to spread hate:

Yes, he’s actually calling for the murder of Muslims. And he aimed his comments at Attorney General Loretta Lynch because she has angered so many of the right, the Christian right, the Republican right, the fear-mongering right, by saying that we need to remain calm in these tense times:

 “I think it’s important, however, that as we again talk about the importance of free speech we make it clear that actions predicated on violent talk are not America they are not who were they are not what we do and they will be prosecuted.”

And she’s right; Free speech is free ... but it costs when it turns to Hate. It can costs lives, and well, in my mind, George Pataki should be arrested and charged with accessory to murder should there be any anti-Muslim deaths in this country. He’s asking for it; he’s telling us to do it.

Kill. Muslims. And we’ve seen, in Texas, as I posted last week, anti-Muslim vandalism by these so-called Americans, so it’s not much of a stretch to think that some gun-nut, made all the more paranoid by the right’s rhetoric about the Muslim community, might take matters into their own hands and start shooting.

You have a governor and a so-called man of God telling them to do it. But maybe, just maybe, these two men will be arrested and called out for what they say, what they advocate, what they urge.

United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch has vows that the department of Justice will go after Hate Speech — like Pataki, who dared Lynch to arrest him, and Falwell — that might incite violence against the Muslim community:

“Obviously this is a country that is based on free speech, but when that edges towards violence…we will take action.”

Since 9/11, the Department of Justice has investigated more than 11,000 acts of anti-Muslim rhetoric in this country; hate speech. Unfortunately, just 45 of those cases were prosecuted, though Lynch sadly thinks that number will rise.

Farhana Khera, Director of Muslim Advocates, along with 46 other religious groups, including the Presbyterian and American Baptist churches, sent a letter in September to the Republican National Committee [RNC] and the Democratic National Committee [DNC] expressing concerns over the “divisive rhetoric being used by some presidential candidates.”

Only the DNC responded to that letter.

And Khera says that inflammatory anti-Muslim language on the campaign trail has persisted; especially with Donald [t] Rump, who advocated a national registry for Muslims — so we can watch “them” — and claimed that Muslims in New Jersey celebrated after the September 11 attacks.

It’s Hate Speech, y’all, from the pulpit to the campaign trail, and the people on the right, the politicians and the RNC refuse to even acknowledge it, because fear is what motivates their base.

Fear and Hate; not Free Speech

George Pataki story via Addicting Info

Jerry Falwell, Jr. story via Washington Post
Loretta Lynch story via ABCNews

Random Musings

I won’t bore you with all the details of our holiday weekend, except to say that, Oy, times have changed. It used to be, as Eddie Murphy once so famously, and badly, sang, ♫ ♪ party all the time ... party all the time ♪ ♫ but this Memorial Day weekend it went gloriously like this:

Saturday morning: cleaning out the planting beds along the front porch, and raking away any and all dried leaves or weeds upon which The Snake might be hiding. Then, after a few hours and a quick shower, it was groceries. On the way home we discussed what Carlos might be cooking for dinner—Saturday’s are his turn—and I could see he wasn’t into it so … no, I wasn’t gonna cook either … we went to one of our local, and favorite, Mexican restaurants for dinner and ice cold Negro Modelo. Yum!

Sunday: it was housecleaning and yard work, and mowing lawns and yard work and Carlos cooking dinner. Only, once again I could see he wasn’t into it, so I made a cold Potato and Arugula Salad, topped with Lemon Rosemary Salmon and a relish of Cucumber, Fresh Herbs, Tomato, Kalamata Olives and Feta Cheese … along with a pitcher of Margaritas. After dinner was all about relaxation, and watching Gone Girl OnDemand™ with Ben Affleck playing himself, smug and condescending, but Rosamond Pike was one scary bitch, and there was a flash of NPH butt, so, yeah, win-win.

Monday: clearing vines and overgrown shrubs along the fences; yes, more yard work. But the best part was seeing Carlos, knee-deep in vines and shrubs and dried leaves and thinking, “That’s where the snakes might hide.” Luckily, no slitherers. But we cleaned up the mess, trimmed a holly tree down from an incredible mass into something pretty and manageable, and the Carlos finally made one of his delicioso pastas for dinner … with more margaritas.

Like I said, who knew I would spend one of the best weekends ever doing yard work? Not me … but things change I guess and spending the weekend with my own personal Mexican Gardner, and Chef, well, was just what I needed.

Good news for Michael Sam … he’s finally gonna play football, though he’ll be playing for the Canadian Football League, and the Montreal Alouettes.

He was signed to a two-year deal, so congrats to him, as the first openly gay football player ever, who finally gets to do what he loves.

[photo source]

Okay, so the Hot Men Alert™ ...

First up, British actor Sam Reid, whom we caught in the movie Belle—which, thankfully wasn’t some Beauty and the Beast crap, but a British film based on a true story about a mixed race girl being raised by the parents of her white father in England, with a back story about slaving and slave ships. A good story, as are most British films for me, made all the better by Sam Reid.

We also watched a sci-fi/hacker/alien/Area 51 film called The Signal which was a good pick, made all the better by Brenton Thwaites, who has, at least in this film, a little Colin Farrell thing going on … and y’all know how I feel about Mr. Farrell.

Yum.

On the Duggar front comes more hypocrisy … go figure.

Back in 2002, during his campaign for the US Senate, Jim Bob Duggar said that he thought incest should be punishable by death.

I guess that was before he knew there were incestuous things happening in his own house when his son would sneak into his sister’s rooms at night and molest them, and so he probably changed his mind about it later.

Asshat.

PS  Jim Bob lost the election, so there is that silver lining.

[photo source]

Okay, so we all know Gaga will be on American Horror Story: Hotel when it debuts in October, and I’m, well, fine with that — though I’ll miss Miss Lange.

Plus, we have Matt "My-Husband-In-My-Head” Bomer appearing next season so the hotness factor will be high.

Especially when you add in fellow openly gay actor-slash-hottie Cheyenne Jackson. Plus, we'll get Angela Bassett, Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, Chloe Sevigny, and Wes Bentley — who’ve all appeared in seasons’ past.

But, another dreamboat has been signed on:

Max Greenfield, of Fox’s New Girl — a show I’ve never seen … Zooey Deschanel … I just can’t with her — but Max is hot, handsome, kinda nerd cute.

Sheesh, Matt, Cheyenne, Wes and Max — it’s a dark-haired dreamboat-fest!

Make room in the GOP Clown Car for a little Frothy Mix …

Yup, Rick Santorum, the former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania and failed Presidential candidate in 2012, not to mention anti-LGBT loon, has announced that he is once again vying for the White House.

Let the crazy begin … as in when he said on GMA that not only is he against any kind of immigration reform, but he wants less legal immigration into this country; he wants less of them coming here to live with us.

Now, I loathe Santorum, and think he’s the lowest of the low, but I will give him credit because, when he was asked about this Duggar business — Josh Duggar supported him for president — Santorum became the first GOP candidate for president, and one of the few republicans in general, to say he was sickened by what happened and that his concern was only for the girls.

So, yeah, he gets minor props for that, though he’ll never be president.

And, joining him in the GOP Clown Car is Republican George Pataki, who served as Governor of New York from 1995-2006.

In announcing his bid, he made sure to tout his leadership during the September 11 attacks.

Yes, vote for Pataki because fourteen years ago he did something good.

Um, but, as Janet Jackson might say, Mr. Pataki, ♫ ♪ what have you done for me lately ♪ ♫?

[photo source]

Maybe the rains have washed away the bigots in Texas because just yesterday an anti-gay marriage amendment finally died in the Texas Senate, joining more than 20 other pieces of anti-LGBT legislation that failed to pass this year. 

The Texas GOP, knowing that they don’t have time to take up the amendment hastily introduced a non-binding resolution in opposition to marriage equality … which is basically just a letter saying We hate gays.

Oh Texas … 

[photo source]