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[Slayven]

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/loca...-UC-Berkeleys-Free-Speech-Week-446129363.html

With less than a week to go before kickoff, uncertainty is still looming over UC Berkeley's student-planned Free Speech Week.

A rash of alleged speakers released statements this week denying involvement in the four-day conservative extravaganza, organized by right-wing student group Berkeley Patriot.

Perhaps the strongest rebuttal came Tuesday, courtesy of the Northern California chapter of the ACLU, which was rumored to be helping the student group wage a legal battle against the university.

"Make no mistake — the views expressed by Steve Bannon, Ann Coulter and Milo Yiannopoulos are about bigotry and racism," the regional branch of the ACLU said in a statement. "While the Constitution protects the expression of those views, let's be clear that this event is about spreading hate and intolerance, not free speech."

The events are supposed to take place from Sept. 24 to Sept. 27, with each day revolving around a theme. For example, "Feminism Awareness Day" on Sunday is supposed to feature Yiannopoulos, who once equated the women's rights movement with "cancer."

Berkeley Patriot missed a Friday deadline to sign a contract and submit a $60,000 payment to UC Berkeley so the events will now take place outdoors, if at all.

Seems like only Milo is showing up. Even James Damore turned them down

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

let’s be clear that this event is about spreading hate and intolerance, not free speech

more of this honesty please

 

[Derwind]

Good, the less support for this bullshit the better.

 

[Slayven]

more of this honesty please

Legit shocked. I guess the last mess got through some of them.

 

[entremet]

This technically a regional chapter. If Berkeley did restrict the speakers, the ACLU would defend them. Seems they lack the funds this time and the event won’t be restricted.

 

[Slayven]

This technically a regional chapter. If Berkeley did restrict the speakers, the ACLU would defend them. Seems they lack the funds this time and the event won’t be restricted.

Would be interesting going forward, cause they just said they weren't about free speech just hate and bigotry. The optics on defending them after saying that......

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

Would be interesting going forward, cause they just said they weren't about free speech just hate and bigotry. The optics on defending them after saying that......

The majority doesn't really care, since they're free speech absolutists for the most part. As long as the organization as a whole defends platforms for hate speech, so will the majority.

 

[NobleXenon]

Can't protesters just bring super-mega phones to have their free speech drown out the speakers' free speech?

It works both ways.

 

[Slayven]

The majority doesn't really care, since they're free speech absolutists for the most part. As long as the organization as a whole defends platforms for hate speech, so will the majority.

This is sadly true. Never been really impressed with the whole "I will fight for your right to call folks nigger", it's smacks of being above it all and having no real skin in the game. Almost playing with people's lives. Well they did with Heather Heyer's

 

[Ponn]

These fucks are having a laugh draining the ACLU coffers and using generally liberal donations to defend their bigotry and hate speech. These groups are literally fighting to silence minorities, deport or straight up genocide. That is not something the ACLU should defend or feel obligated to support if they really do support freedom of speech.

 

[StrategyFan]

it costs something like half a million per day for the added expenses of these events

i doubt that the far-removed-from-sanity organizers who are "inviting" these speakers are raising that much money

 

[anarchycupcake]

I feel like this is just the same student group looking to stir up shit and get people hurt needlessly over and over again, just for the sake of their pride. They're causing stress to like 90% of the student body, not to mention the local businesses, and Milo in particular has threatened individual students before. I don't get why university officials don't just put an end to this shit and ban them entirely.

 

[Kthulhu]

These fucks are having a laugh draining the ACLU coffers and using generally liberal donations to defend their bigotry and hate speech. These groups are literally fighting to silence minorities, deport or straight up genocide. That is not something the ACLU should defend or feel obligated to support if they really do support freedom of speech.

I'm guessing they're concerned about the legal precedent, though that's just my assumption. I'd be interested in what the justification is for the chapters that do defend hate speech.

 

[MisterShine]

... I'd be interested in what the justification is for the chapters that do defend hate speech.

Hate speech is free speech, and that has been reinforced many times in the courts.

ACLU has defended the KKK, neonazis and other white supremacists for decades. Terrorists too. Liberal ignorance on that history always surprises me. They let communist hysteria run amok and did nothing, since then they've been absolute in their defense of the broadest possible reading of the 1A.

 

[R10Neymarfan]

Let's be real the only thing that will happen will be an all out brawl between antifa and pepes

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

https://www.aclu.org/other/aclu-history-rooting-out-subversives-paranoia-and-patriotism-mccarthy-era

 

[SoulUnison]

Let's be real the only thing that will happen will be an all out brawl between antifa and pepes

And then we'll hear about "both sides being the same" when one side's fundamental point is "discrimination and genocide" and the other's is "discrimination and genocide are bad."

But they're basically the same thing, you guys! Tolerate the intolerance!

 

[Slayven]

Hate speech is free speech, and that has been reinforced many times in the courts.

ACLU has defended the KKK, neonazis and other white supremacists for decades. Terrorists too. Liberal ignorance on that history always surprises me. They let communist hysteria run amok and did nothing, since then they've been absolute in their defense of the broadest possible reading of the 1A.

We know they value the idea of an document written when most of the current population of this country wouldn't have any rights or personhood under the law. Over the lives of many of the citizens.

We get that


we just saying that is neither impressive or brave stance

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

That pedo defender Milo is back in the game? I was hoping we heard the last of him.

 

[SliceSabre]

We know they value the idea of an document written when most of the current population of this country wouldn't have any rights or personhood under the law. Over the lives of many of the citizens.

We get that


we just saying that is neither impressive or brave stance

I disagree I think it is a very brave stance to sit up and say: "Free speech is guaranteed by our Constitution even if that speech is hateful." When everyone else throws stones at you for the stance. You aren't very brave if you're only willing to defend free speech when it perfectly suits you.

That isn't to say I particularly like that but I get it. The only reason we liberals are now having an issue with the ACLU is because we're getting a reminder that they defend everyone's right to free speech, not just us liberals and what we have to say.

 

[ChainedMaster]

I disagree I think it is a very brave stance to sit up and say: "Free speech is is guaranteed by our Constitution even if that speech is hateful." Whenever everyone else throws stones at you for the stance.

That isn't to say I particularly like that but I get it. The only reason we liberals are now having an issue with the ACLU is because we're getting a reminder that they defend everyone's right to free speech, not just us liberals and what we have to say.

Don't forget last time they defended Nazis their donations drastically declined. That's very brave, actually.

 

[Slayven]

I disagree I think it is a very brave stance to sit up and say: "Free speech is guaranteed by our Constitution even if that speech is hateful." When everyone else throws stones at you for the stance. You aren't very brave if you're only willing to defend free speech when it perfectly suits you.

That isn't to say I particularly like that but I get it. The only reason we liberals are now having an issue with the ACLU is because we're getting a reminder that they defend everyone's right to free speech, not just us liberals and what we have to say.

And you are not brave if you help others spread hate and bigotry

Nah, I never cared for them all that much for that exact reason. Can't fuck with people that put my humanity on the same level as the KKK.

 

[cdyhybrid]

The ACLU is free to cape for Nazis and I'm free to call them trash for doing it. Isn't freedom of speech great?

 

[MisterShine]

https://www.aclu.org/other/aclu-history-rooting-out-subversives-paranoia-and-patriotism-mccarthy-era

They also tossed out about half the board for communist leanings in the early 40's.

...

You think they stand up for that to protect nazis? No, they're keeping us safe too. You think some out there wouldn't love to round up blm organisers and socialist groups and yadda yadda at their homes and charge them for whatever bullshit they can make stick? Their authority is limited because the aclu and groups like them push and push for expression and speech and they don't stop.

Everyone who can see even two steps ahead knows the first place curtailing speech is going to go, and it sure as shit isn't going to be the white supremacy that founded the justice system in the first place.

 

[Ponn]

https://www.aclu.org/other/aclu-history-rooting-out-subversives-paranoia-and-patriotism-mccarthy-era

Heres the the problem i have though, ACLU wasnt protecting or fighting for McCarthyism as freedom of speech. If you're whole point is to fight for freedom of speech then it seems counterproductive to fight for ideologies and movements seeking to silence large groups of people, deport them and commit genocide backed by fascism and eliminating those very freedoms you are supposedly fighting for. Those are things you should be fighting against, like mccarthyism. Sometimes people go so far down the slippery slope rabbit hole that they completely lose track of what they were fighting for in the first place.

At least a simple "You have freedom of speech but your groups are actively working to take that freedom from others so you are not entitled to our services"

 

[Banderdash]

When did patriot become a synonym for nutjob?

 

[Slayven]

The ACLU is free to cape for Nazis and I'm free to call them trash for doing it. Isn't freedom of speech great?

That is a Boogieism I can get behind