What is with all of this hate speech that is coursing through the veins of our society of late? It seems that people are spewing all sorts of heinous vitriol in the name-of their religion. Not that this is anything new. I had just hoped that society had come a bit further than this, since the days of the Inquisition.

Today, the Huffington Post reported on George Michael being hospitalized with pneumonia, which, in itself would have been worthy of a mention, however the story was accompanied by some truly disturbing hate speech. See for yourself here, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/29/george-michael-hospitalized-christians-for-a-moral-america_n_1118654.html?ref=tw

Also today, on twitter, a self professed Christian porn star had these choice words for a terminal cancer patient in her own industry.

I hate to say this – but sometimes people with terminal diseases need to give it a rest & stop ruining other people’s happiness with their @MonicaFoster Monica Foster tragedy. If you have a terminal disease let your family and friends know. Bring awareness to the disease to help others – but then just live @MonicaFoster Monica Foster the rest of your life and stop draining others emotionally or otherwise. It’s wrong to do and very selfish. @MonicaFoster Monica Foster When God wanted to take out the trash in the old testament – plague and disease worked quite well. Considering all the satanism, demonic @MonicaFoster Monica Foster activity and evil in the world today (especially within the la porn circuit) God’s getting old testament gangster once more. Sickness & @MonicaFoster Monica Foster disease isn’t random – quite often it’s God taking out the trash… Christ is RIGHT! In the United States, the law is part of the problem. The first amendment to the constitution protects free speech, unfortunately, in many cases this also includes hate speech. I’m sure quite a few of you have heard of the Westboro Baptist Church and their penchant for protesting the funerals of gays, soldiers and an innocently by-standing 9 year old girl. The fact that the Supreme Court of Kansas sided with them sickens me to the core. http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/02/scotus.westboro.church/index.html?iref=allsearch This video is interesting. It was made for students of political science. It explains why/how hate speech is protected in America. In Canada, however, where, yes, contrary to American opinion, we actually do have free speech, we also have laws against hate speech. Oh and we actually DO separate church and state. Sections 318 and 319 of the Criminal Code of Canada make it a criminal offence to: advocate genocide

publicly incite hatred

wilfully promote hatred against an “identifiable group.” An identifiable group is defined as any section of the public distinguished by: colour

race

religion

ethnic origin

sexual orientation The Criminal Code provisions are intended to prohibit the public distribution of hate propaganda. Private speech is not covered by the provisions. For example, “advocating genocide” includes publicly arguing that members of an identifiable group should be killed. Willfully promoting hatred can only be committed by communicating statements other than in a private conversation. And inciting hatred is only prohibited if statements are communicated in a public place. Online communications that advocate genocide or willfully promote or incite hatred are likely to fall within the provisions because the Internet is a public network. This is something that Ann Coulter found out personally. When she wanted to speak at a university in Ontario recently. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-rowe/sorry-ann-coulter-canadas_b_513865.html Though, when she went back home, she claimed SHE was the victim of a hate crime. I am a believer in freedom of speech, but not when it puts someone in harm’s way. Hate speech in the name of religion, well, if you’re going to claim to be better than the rest of us, then you shouldn’t be allowed to spread hatred, ignorance and obscenity like the Westboro Baptist Church, the Christian porn star and the ironically named Christians For A Moral America. Although, if you keep it up, you’ll just be making more atheists like me.

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