Classically, Libel and other such speech crimes were dismissed with the truth defense. In other words if you said someone made their fortune while ostensibly being a public servant, it was not libel or slander if you could prove that what you said was true.

I do not think hate crimes and todays militant postmodernism multiculti would recognize a truth defense, so for the time being I am opposed to any hate crime laws.

The thing with suppressing discussion of Islam is that too (three) many of todays nattering nabobs seem to think that if they repeat often enough that Islam is a religion of peace, somehow they will convince their adherents to live up to their expectations.

Posted by: stickman at April 13, 2008 6:22 PM

many of todays nattering nabobs seem to think that if they repeat often enough that Islam is a religion of peace, somehow they will convince their adherents to live up to their expectations.

Posted by: stickman at April 13, 2008 6:22 PM

Unfortunately, however, Islam is 100% a religion of violence. "Kill everyone not Islamic if they don't convert." That is the simple message of Islam.

Posted by: darcy at April 13, 2008 6:47 PM

a ship ........... I think I like it

Posted by: Pamela Geller at April 13, 2008 7:28 PM

No sound!? Have the goblins already stole the speech?

Posted by: Jimmy Bones at April 13, 2008 7:40 PM

Cancel my previous comment. Downloaded latest Adobe Flash Player. Speech was excellent!

Posted by: Jimmy Bones at April 13, 2008 8:13 PM

Don't ya just love it when Muslims curse you when all you have done it to simply quote from their evil texts and make the Non Muslims aware of such texts....and the same quotes are used by the Imams to preach to other Muslims in the mosque..

Ha!,,,Who knows what evil lurks the the hearts of men...THe Shadow do...

Posted by: pulsar182 at April 13, 2008 8:17 PM

I hope C-SPAN was there and that I will see the speech on the tube.

Posted by: PMK at April 13, 2008 8:27 PM

Will there be a transcript made?

Posted by: Mo at April 13, 2008 9:25 PM

Hm, I can only get it to play up to 12:21 and then it gets stuck. Is anyone else having this problem? I've tried twice already.

Posted by: Mo at April 13, 2008 9:50 PM

"Over the last several years, proponents of Islamic jihad have increasingly turned to thecourts and government agencies in their effort to suppress criticism of radical Islam."

From the very beginning, I've been opposed to so-hate crime laws. There is no such thing as a "hate crime". No matter how you look at it, these laws are intended to punish politically unsanctioned thoughts, and to mandate acceptance and tolerance of things that some might find unacceptable and intollerable, and for perfectly rational, and even moral, reasons.

We've seen the results of such laws in Canada, Australia and Europe, where even clergymen have beed charged for crimes of hate because their sermons contained lanquage deemed offensive to a minority group.

By their very nature, hate crime laws evolve. They are not static, because the definition of hate is not static. More and more interest groups want the government to punish others who think and express thoughts that they'd rather not hear expressed, and there is no shortage of politicians who will cater to these groups in return for their votes.

I was absolutely certain that the Supreme court would strike down these laws when they were first challenged because of their obviously unconstitutional nature, but it didn't. So there's no point in relying on the ideologues in our court system to protect us. Thought crime laws have to be killed at birth, and those already on the books should be repealed, and people should not be intimidated into not opposing them.

A few more years, and Muslims will be able to silence anyone who expresses a truthful thought about their screwball Prophet, or their dysfunctional religion.

Posted by: rational at April 13, 2008 9:56 PM

Rational, you stated: " thought crime laws need to be killed at birth ".
What about these 3,6,8 year old children, who I watched on YouTube, how many are out there, talking, no preaching all this hate and killing of infidels,can these little minds still be saved?
When children are being used in this way I get very upset.
Seeing a 12 year old beheading an adult man, a 5 year old being taught by his father how you behead somebody.How will these children be in a couple of years. The way children influence other children, they will teach other children how to behave. Like a snowball effect.How many will their be in just a few years.

Now ofcourse they can mention, look in your own backyard, with the women and children from the
" Great Old Ways of the Mormon Religion ".

Posted by: Maria at April 14, 2008 6:23 AM

That is why it is important to support internet websites such as JW/DW in order for the truth to be stood up for. Thanks Robert for standing up for the truth.

Posted by: bigcatgirl13106 at April 14, 2008 9:49 AM

Good speech.

Thanks for the video's. But the sound isn't very good on the others. The speaker is hard to hear due to the laughing. I can't recommend the video's to others because of the laughing and the fact that it often drowns out the person talking, like Steyn and Emerson.

Posted by: Borg at April 14, 2008 10:15 AM

Mr Spencer

I sat down and listened to this - the first time I have listened to you speaking, as opposed to reading what you have written.

You are a very good speaker. Truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth, presented briefly and clearly.

Applause!

I will make sure that friends and family watch this speech.

I add only this: your family and your church community must be very, very proud of you, despite the danger.

To paraphrase a prayer from the krias shema, as given by Chaim Potok in the book 'My Name is Asher Lev':

"In the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel:
May Michael be at your right hand, Gabriel at your left;
before you Uriel, behind you Raphael;
and above your head the divine presence of God."

Posted by: dumbledoresarmy at April 14, 2008 10:57 PM

Same here. The video halts precisely at 12:21.

Too bad, too, because it's a good talk so far, and I definitely wanted to hear the wrap up.

Posted by: Haid Dasalami at April 15, 2008 12:51 AM