Federal U.S. Attorney Bill Killian Suggests Anti-Muslim Speech Can Be Punished

[NeckBeard]

Federal U.S. Attorney Bill Killian Suggests Anti-Muslim Speech Can be Punished

Bill Killian, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, recently suggested that offensive speech about Islam may be punishable under U.S. law.Killian and Kenneth Moore, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Knoxville Division, are scheduled to speak next week at a special meeting in Manchester, Tennessee, to increase awareness among citizens that American Muslims are not terrorists.

"This is an educational effort with civil rights laws as they play into freedom of religion and exercising freedom of religion. This is also to inform the public what federal laws are in effect and what the consequences are," said Killian.

He also mentioned that Coffee County Commissioner Barry West had posted a photo of a man aiming a shotgun with the caption "How to wink at a Muslim."
“If a Muslim had posted ‘How to Wink at a Christian,’ could you imagine what would have happened?” Killian told The Tullahoma News on Tuesday. “We need to educate people about Muslims and their civil rights, and as long as we’re here, they’re going to be protected.”

Killian said Internet postings that violate civil rights are subject to federal law.

“That’s what everybody needs to understand,” Killian added.

"He’s just wrong," said Floyd Abrams, a First Amendment attorney, told Politico.com. "The government may, indeed, play a useful and entirely constitutional role in urging people not to engage in speech that amounts to religious discrimination. But it may not, under the First Amendment, prevent or punish speech even if it may be viewed as hostile to a religion."


"And what it most clearly may not do is to stifle political or social debate, however rambunctious or offensive some may think it is."

what would have happened is the left and the media would have rejoiced over such a comment, the president would have said Christians acted stupidly.

 

[mleroyl]

What a doosh...

 

[rushthezeppelin]

Ya, looks like the Justice Department is pretty far down the shitter. Hopefully that judge gets voted out in a hurry.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

 

[Southpaw]

Hate crimes are illegal, have been for a very long time. Why make a point of stating laws that already exist? It makes non-Muslims look like we are so frightened of Muslims.
The Muslims in this country, just like any other group, be it racial, religious or social are the only one's who can make the choice on whether they want radicals to thrive or to die in their societies. The government can pass laws and punish as they will, but until American Muslims as a whole come together and draw a line in the sand as to what they will tolerate and what they will not, Joe Bob posting racial slurs on his website or even worse isn't generally going to escalate or deter the radical elements of their culture.

 

[AcidFlashGordon]

Hate crimes are illegal, have been for a very long time. Why make a point of stating laws that already exist? It makes non-Muslims look like we are so frightened of Muslims.
The Muslims in this country, just like any other group, be it racial, religious or social are the only one's who can make the choice on whether they want radicals to thrive or to die in their societies. The government can pass laws and punish as they will, but until American Muslims as a whole come together and draw a line in the sand as to what they will tolerate and what they will not, Joe Bob posting racial slurs on his website or even worse isn't generally going to escalate or deter the radical elements of their culture.

There's the point in a nutshell. Any religion, be it Islam or any other, HAS to stand up and deride and decry those radical extremists within their religion. Until that is done, the entire religion is put in a bad light by the few extremists in their midst. It's unfortunate that all Muslims are lumped together into the "terrorist" category but until they make it known worldwide that they do not embrace the attitudes these extremists advocate, there will be distrust towards their religion.

 

[NorthTXMike]

Problem is, ALL religion is extremist. If you want to do away with stupidity of extremist ideologies then you must do away with religion entirely. No matter what you practice or believe, there will always be some fringe group who feels it best to take a very literal meaning of the literature and pursue it in militant fashion. More blood has been shed over religion than any other principle this world has ever known, save for "the spread of democracy" perhaps, but even that always has religious undertones.

Now Im an atheist, but that brings me to another point. Put "extremist" or "militant" before and one of the religions (i.e., militant Muslims, extremist Christians, etc.) and you dont have an oxymoron. However, the two words you will never hear used together are "militant atheist" or "extremist atheist".

 

[Southpaw]

......... However, the two words you will never hear used together are "militant atheist" or "extremist atheist".

Not until the Atheist are knocking on everyone's door and telling them they no longer can worship or speak of religion because it's a extremist ideology.

 

[itchin]

The dick Dawkins freaks are annoying as hell.

 

[NorthTXMike]

[/B]

Not until the Atheist are knocking on everyone's door and telling them they no longer can worship or speak of religion because it's a extremist ideology.

Most atheists don't give enough of a shit to go door to door telling people that though. Although really, all you have to do then is just answer the door naked like I do already with the Mormons and Jehovah's Witness.

 

[UtopiaTx]

I doubt that Muslims here in the U.S. will self control those who are radical in their midsts. Look at all the countries on the planet that are a majority Muslim? Absolute shitholes to live in with abject poverty and violence on a day to day basis. I know things aren't perfect here in the U.S. but a future where muslims are a majority group does not thrill me. One of the huge problems with a free society is that it allows those that hate that society to move in, enjoy the benefits of that society, and then change it to where the haters came from originally.