Striking ignorance of Cary Moon on hate speech

Ms Moon is among the candidates vying for Mayor of Seattle

Cary Moon made what has to be one of the most ignorant statements uttered by an educated candidate running for office. In an interview with Dave Ross, Moon claimed so-called “hate speech” is not protected. She is, in no uncertain terms, so incorrect. The mere utterance of her claim is as offensive as it is uninformed.

“I think hate speech is not protected,” she said. “Dialogue is good.”

Dialogue is good? That’s rather ironic since Moon takes a position that some of you who utter protected speech, which could lead to dialogue, should be thrown in jail or fined.

Is hate speech protected?

Hate speech is, indeed, protected speech. Anyone with even a basic understanding of the First Amendment knows this. Anyone running for office where you have an influence over the enforcement of laws has a duty to understand this.

When pressed as to who defines unprotected hate speech, she claimed: “Well, the ACLU and the courts figure it out pretty well.”

The ACLU and the courts are on the same side: hate speech is protected. In fact, just this week, the ACLU defended Ann Coulter’s right to speak on campus, despite critics labeling her speech as hateful.

“Controversial, critical, confrontational, and challenging speech is an essential part of any successful college education,” wrote Lee Rowland, Senior Staff Attorney, ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. “Without it, institutions of higher education cannot truly be said to be preparing students for the world outside of the ivory tower.”

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