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Obama's 'Hate Bill' Steals Right to Free Speech
By Rev. Ted Pike
President-elect
Barack Obama prioritizes passage of the freedom-stealing Matthew Shepard Hate
Crimes Prevention Act. High-level Democrats are also eager to limit free speech
in media with the Fairness Doctrine. Earlier liberals, especially during the
60s and 70s, championed unbridled freedom of speech and expression. But Obama
and "new liberals" encourage the opposite: hate and bias laws which
restrict and even criminalize criticism of federally protected groups such as
Jews and homosexuals. (1)
Should
there be limits on freedom of speech? Or do the ethical foundations of America, the
Bible and the Constitution allow us to say virtually anything we want?
To answer these and other questions about this now
controversial subject, we must define "free speech."
What
is Free Speech?
Our
right to free speech comes from our identity as free will beings, created in
God's image. Freedom to make moral choices is given every person at conception
and is part of the eternal soul or spirit of man. The first instinct of our
free will is to speak our desires and opinions. Speech naturally proceeds from
the innermost thoughts of our minds and souls. Natural law also argues for
freedom of speech. If animals can bark, sing, chirp at their pleasure and
without restraint, shouldn't human beings made in God's image have at least as
much right to speak? Our free speech, like our free will, is our most precious
birthright from our Creator.
Yet
this freedom must not be abused. In the Old Testament, God did command
execution for those who abused their freedom of speech through blasphemy,
advocating idolatry, or inciting rebellion. Yet He gave each person the freedom
to commit those sins, if they chose.
God
has authority to end verbal discord to Himself and His law whenever He pleases.
He would not be God if He didn't have that privilege. He is not required to
bear with sin for any length of time, and the eternal law of a holy God is that
any discord to Him must be instantly annihilated. Yet He doesn't incinerate all
sinners; even demons are given freedom to continue. God forbears, in love, to
give mankind time to repent and become His friends.
In
fact, God does much more than just forbear judgment. Jesus came down and died
on a cross to bear our just punishment. When we trust in Christ, our Sin-bearer,
He becomes our bridge of justification and reconciliation to a holy God.
When
Speech Should Not Be Free
Just
as there were some limits to freedom of speech for the Hebrews, so American law
sets some limits. No one is allowed to shout "Fire!" in a crowded
theater or to incite riot, or to libel or slander. American law does not
tolerate speech that threatens public safety with "imminent harm,"
and I believe speech that is blatantly corruptive should also be restricted.
Scripture provides precedent for such limits, especially in the Old Testament.
Young people should be legally protected from expression that is overtly
pornographic, solicitous of pedophilia, sexually traumatizing or sadistically
violent.
But
we should not prohibit speech that is merely politically incorrect. This
includes what the Anti-Defamation League decries as "anti-Semitic
conspiracy theories." ADL counsels libraries and schools to block such
"hate speech" from computers. (This has included the National Prayer
Network's website, <http://www.ruthtellers.org/>Truthtellers.org.) In
reality, politically incorrect ideas are often true. They bear no resemblance
to speech that actually traumatizes, degrades and corrupts youth.
Despite
potential abuses, free speech is a much more redeeming influence than a threat.
In the area of expression, we should always err on the side of freedom rather
than restriction. The greatest blessing of freedom of speech is that it allows
new and truthful ideas that can strengthen and morally orient the confused or
misled. Is our problem today too much unbridled, unauthorized speech and
discussion? Hardly. Our problem is highly concentrated power in mass media,
which shuts down true discussion and non-mainstream voices. The dissenting
voices that do exist are threatened by fierce efforts, primarily led by ADL, to
restrict freedom with hate, bias and speech laws. ADL ceaselessly searches for
a way to outlaw criticism of matters Jewish as well as homosexuality on the
internet. We need much, much more total truth-telling, not less.
Big
Brother Obama
Media
already portrays Obama as another Martin Luther King Jr. with a dream of
freedom for all. Don't believe it. Obama's new brand of liberalism stands for
ending freedom of speech for critics of federally protected groups. Obama will
attempt to pass the federal hate bill and pro-homosexual ENDA as well as
"lobby reform" bills meant to cripple and penalize
Christian/conservative and pro-life activist groups. He will almost certainly
allow Democrats to also pass the freedom-stealing Fairness Doctrine that will
run conservative media off the airwaves.
Obama
wants to sweep America into
hate law bondage as in Canada.
Last year, a prominent Canadian hate law bureaucrat commented that Canada
tolerates free speech but is not in love with it. Freedom-loving Americans must
fall even more deeply in love with God and His priceless gift of free speech!
We
must also act. With the Senate and House now overwhelmingly empowered to pass
Orwellian legislation, lovers of freedom must be ready to protest as never
before. Calls must flood the House of Representatives just as soon as the new
hate bill arrives there, probably in early January.
Are
the odds against freedom now insurmountable? Again and again they seemed that
way over the past nine years when hate bill forces always commanded a numerical
majority in Congress. But God repeatedly intervened, creating disarray in the
hate bill ranks and defeating it five times.
Can
we do it again? Yes! Exactly the same way we succeeded earlier.
Call
first to God. Then call Washington!
1. The
original 1968 federal hate law, upon which present federal hate bills greatly
expand, criminalizes speech. It says that if anyone's public speech encourages
another to an act of hate-motivated violence, the original speaker can be tried
as a federal hate criminal along with the active offender whom he has
influenced.
Title 18, U.S.C., Sec. 2a says: (a) Whoever commits an
offense against the United
States or aids, abets, counsels, commands,
induces or procures its commission, is punishable as a principal.
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(Issue # 45, November 10, 2008)
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