Free Speech and "Hate™"

This is a great comment I read on the Legal Insurrection Post about Annabel Park.

It was in response to this little tirade by one "Christyne"

Interesting how reading this blog, and the comments to it, that the majority of posts are so remarkably hateful. Civil discourse includes the actual discussion of relevant topics, but all the people posting here seem to be interested in is name-calling, spewing vitriol, and apparently the total destruction of any kind of governance. Is it any wonder that no thoughtful person takes you seriously? If you wish to be taken as seriously as you claim that you are, replace the anger with some level-headed, well-informed and CONSTRUCTIVE conversation about things that we can actually DO instead of bitching endlessly with increasing volume. Because it seems like the only thing you are interested in doing is drowning out every other voice within the radius of your bloviating. And that infringes on my right to free speech, and that of others who are just as much citizens of this nation as you are. Shame on you.

Captain Obvious' Response was so good I'm going to re-post it here in its entirety.

Christyne, I level-headedly well-informedly, and constructively suggest you read the Constitution. Your right to free speech protects you from the government prosecuting you from saying arbitrarily "illegal things." It does not protect you from being rightly ridiculed by the public for saying "clueless things." You had your say, and you weren't thrown in jail. That's all anyone is entitled to.


You obviously have no idea what "hatred" is. Founding a group based on the automatic negative game-saying of partisanship, and then slandering about 20% of your fellow citizens with incessant sexual innuendo is hatred. Then hiding behind a fig leaf of "oh, but we're for civil discourse" wouldn't fool my collie. The RESPONSE is not hatred, but righteous indignation.


Nobody "hates" you, but if you're going to hide behind feigned ignorance and hyperbole, we're certainly going to mock you. "Gosh, how could anybody be upset that they were satirized, insulted, and then condescended to of how they have no right to be upset?"


Show us one commenter who advocated "total destruction of any kind of governance." Do you REALLY wonder why "all" the people posting here were called names, and are now inexplicably "interested" in name-calling? Is it any wonder no thoughtful person takes you seriously? We don't hate you, but we're not laughing WITH you either...


And if you're spewing vitriol, go see a doctor (while you still can). But if you're just complaining about OTHER people's first amendment rights, then shame on you. I hope you appreciate the irony of your misguided bit of bloviating, which regrettably, was not drowned out.


But I'M FOR civil discourse, so you are not allowed to be upset with anything I've written. Contradicting me would only be bitching endlessly with increasing volume. So I get the last word... because I'm for civil discourse...


NYAH NYAH NYAH NYCIVILDISCOURSE!