I begin this post not really sure how I feel about the case I am about to describe. Free speech is a protected right in the U.S. Constitution, but at what point does it cross the line and deserve censorship? Walter Bagdasarian posted a message about Obama on Yahoo.com two years ago. This is not surprising. There are many political comments on Yahoo. However, in this one he said that Obama "will have a 50 cal in the head soon" and also called him a racial slur.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in California ruled that his speech was protected and there was no evidence that he actually intended to carry out an act. Usually free speech is protected unless the individual is inciting a riot or there is a known intent to harm. Many people say unruly things in political discourse, so it is hard to gauge intentions. With that said, I believe that if I were to say outloud at a school or work that I wanted to shoot Obama and I was reported, the FBI would be paying me a visit. I do not know whether I would be charged or not. But is this what free speech is about? Talking about killing another human being? I'm not sure this is protected. I don't believe the man necessarily deserved a harsh sentence or anything. Perhaps he needs anger management. But the point is that talking about politics and issues is not equivalent to talking about killing another person, just because of their race or political party.
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