posted
No... because what makes America great is the power of argument and debate. As the saying goes, I might not agree with you, but I will die to protect your right to say it.
Posts: 4953 | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
This is what I wish people would understand. Just because it's really really bad doesn't make the Bill of Rights any less applicable. Nor does it justify altering the Constitution. Apparently, though, that isn't getting through to the younger generation (or rather, the younger members of mine.)
Posts: 894 | Registered: Apr 2000
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posted
I do not see myself burning the flag as long as it is legal to do so, but I feel that if flag-burning was illegal, the flag would be a mockery of the supposed values of the nation.
Posts: 1364 | Registered: Feb 2003
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posted
Well, every new generation is another wave of barbarians at the gates... we need to properly indoctinate each new generation. Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it, etc...
Posts: 4953 | Registered: Jan 2004
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quote:White supremacist Matt Hale says he will take his bid to practice law all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court after Illinois' highest court Friday rejected his efforts to practice in that state.
Hale, 28, leads the World Church of the Creator, based in East Peoria, Illinois. He graduated from Southern Illinois University law school in 1998 and passed the bar exam, but the Illinois Bar Association and has refused to grant him a license to practice law.
He sued, and asked the Supreme Court in July to review the case. Friday's ruling "has sent a message that if you are politically incorrect or have views that might seem extreme, you may not get your day in court," Hale said.
In addition to announcing plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, Hale said he is considering filing federal lawsuits against the IBA and the state of Illinois for allegedly violating his civil rights.
"I'm going to pursue this to the hilt," Hale vowed.
Order issued without comment
The single-paragraph court order, issued without comment, lets stand the decision by the state Supreme Court's Committee on Character and Fitness, which denied Hale his law license because of questions about his "moral character."
Last summer, the committee originally turned Hale down for a law license. Members argued that Hale's racist views would prevent him from fulfilling a lawyer's duty not to discriminate against litigants, jurors, witnesses or others for reasons of race, religion or national origin.
Shortly after that decision, Benjamin Smith -- a former member of Hale's church -- went on a shooting spree in Indiana and Illinois that targeted minorities. Smith killed two men and wounded nine other people before he committed suicide.
After Hale asked the Illinois Supreme Court to review the committee's decision denying him a license, the committee argued that Hale's response to the shooting spree demonstrated he should not be a lawyer.
"The record evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that Hale is not fit to practice law. The evidence also demonstrates that Hale lacks the moral character necessary to satisfy even minimal bar admission standards," the fitness committee said in court papers.
quote:In November 2002, the WCOTC lost a copyright infringement lawsuit brought against it by the Te-Ta-Ma Truth Foundation, which had successfully trademarked the name "Church of the Creator" years ago. A federal judge ordered the WCOTC to stop using its name, to give up its Web addresses, and to turn over all printed material bearing its name. Hale refused to comply with the order and in January 2003 had arrived for a contempt of court hearing when he was arrested for soliciting the judge's murder. Hale remains in jail awaiting trial as members of WCOTC and other white supremacist groups rally behind him.
Note, the ADL spoke out against the original decision denying him a license.
posted
Well that's fairly simple. Give him his license, and the very first time he allows his white supremacist beliefs to interfere with his faithfully carrying out the duties of an officer of the court, revoke it and slap him with contempt. Frankly, it disturbs me that a "Committee on Character and Fitness" even exists.
Posts: 894 | Registered: Apr 2000
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posted
I agree. Give him a license, give him a chance, and when he screws up, disbar him. And if he doesn't screw up, well, that just shows he doesn't let his disgusting beliefs get in the way of his career.
Posts: 1357 | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote:Here's the question, though, Dag. We agree that burning the flag is destructive, ineffective, and generally a bad way to make your point. Should it be illegal?
No it shouldn't. People should have the freedom to do stupid things. But the very fact that this country allows them to burn the flag should, in my mind, be reason not to.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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quote:I agree. Give him a license, give him a chance, and when he screws up, disbar him. And if he doesn't screw up, well, that just shows he doesn't let his disgusting beliefs get in the way of his career.
Exactly. I even argued for increased supervision, since his published works gave reason to suspect he would not live up to those values.
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