This is the first time I've wished that moderation went above +5. Spot on. We need to show that hateful thoughts and rhetoric, where wrong, can be defeated by exposure and open discussion. We can't legislate our way to the truth! Why do so many people think that we can?
So Fred Phelps thinks that God hates fags? Fuck him. Let him say what he wants. Let more enlightened Christians point out his doctrinal shortcomings, and let the general public ridicule him.
So David Irving wants to sue against claims that he's a Holocaust denier? Fuck him. Let the courts decide on the facts, not the motive.
Truth wins. When we begin
criminalising unpopular speech, however wrong, we begin to rally support for these obnoxious little fucktards even from people (like me) who oppose pretty much everything they say. And more importantly, we deny them a fundamental freedom that we assume for ourselves.
What's next? Publishing a paper with a flawed methodology is a criminal offence? Should Climate Change deniers (or proponents) be outlawed? Is this really the kind of society we want to live in?
Generally I'm proud to be European. Not today.