Here's LOFF56:
I generally don't find Barney Frank to be a particularly good role model for diplomacy, decency or character, but I do believe he illustrates a good point here. And kudos to him for blatantly explaining it. Yes, the First Amendment is there to protect your freedom of speech, all of it, from tame to disgusting. There's no disputing that. But no where in the First Amendment does it say that you can't be held accountable for the words you say!! Barney Frank is basically saying, "Fine, you're allowed to say those things, but based on the insane nature of what you're saying, you're forfeiting your PRIVILEGE to have a voice in a democracy that values rationality and decorum, among other things."
This is related to your previous post about Glenn Beck too. Clearly his "free speech" did have actual, monetary consequences. Nobody said that he couldn't say that Obama's a racist. But he said it at his own peril and lost a boat-load of advertisers.
I think people forget that about free speech and the First Amendment. In the same way that in the Second Amendment you're allowed to carry a gun, but when you actually fire it, you're responsible for what you hit.
So go ahead and speak your mind, but don't expect any mercy when you say something that makes you sound like you're from Neptune
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