Monsters of Charlottesville

[markbernstein56]

I wrote this on Facebook a few days ago. It's received a fair amount of positive feedback, so I decided to share it here.

Monsters of Charlottesville, you have renounced any moral claim you might have ever had to the rights and privileges of American citizenship. The First Amendment protects your right to spew your hate. It also protects my right to say that you are vile, and have no place in a civilized society. The First Amendment also protects the right of citizens to *peaceably* assemble, but clearly you have no interest whatsoever in that.

You have no support from decent people, from good people, from moral people. If you bring your hate to my state, I will be there to tell you that you are not welcome. You disgust me, but you do not frighten me, and you do not intimidate me. The American Spirit is stronger than you. The Constitution is stronger than you.

You have allied yourselves with the most repulsive and murderous regime in human history. In the name of the six million, I shun you.

Comments

[madfilkentist]

Every American citizen has the rights and privileges of American citizenship. No exceptions, even for murderers. Reject that, and you become the thing you're denouncing.

The First Amendment, as you note, affirms their right to speak, and our right to answer them. They have the right to a trial if accused of acts of violence.

The Fourteenth Amendment says everyone born in the US and subject to its jurisdiction is a citizen. No exceptions. Not for immigrants' kids, and not for people uttering any doctrine.

We don't need to regard people as decent human beings when they don't act that way, but we always have to regard them as human beings. Whatever response we give the them as to stay within the bounds of human rights.

[markbernstein56]

And that is precisely why I specified any moral claim. Their legal rights are, of course, intact.