To the Editor:
Re "Westboro case poses dilemma for Jewish groups": Freedom of speech is not absolute. I guess everyone would agree that one does not have a right to yell "Fire!" in a crowded theater. Likewise, threatening speech is also barred.
Hate speech stands in the same vein. A person who yells "kill all the ****** may have the right to say it, but if someone takes up the person’s speech and murders the "*****," then that person is just as guilty as the perpetrator of the act and can be punished for the crime as if he was the perpetrator.
Freedom of speech is not a license to shoot off at the mouth with oral diarrhea.
Nelson Samuel
Sun City West, Ariz.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.
