Who knew?

Did YOU know that the term "marriage" is hate speech? How about "family values"? "Natural family"? According to the most overturned circuit court in the land -- the 9th Circuit -- they all are:

In United States District Court, Case No. CV-03-03542-VRW, the California federal courts concluded that the terms "marriage," "natural family," and "family values" could be censored in a municipal workplace as hate-speech and in the interest of "administrative efficiency." Specifically, the City of Oakland banned the use of these terms on postings made to an open bulletin board provided to employees during the same-sex marriage debate in California during 2002 through 2003.

But the case is now going to the US Supreme Court. And it seems like a slam-dunk for a reversal:

The suit arose in late 2002 when the petitioners chose to create the Good News Employee Association in response to alleged Bible-bashing by ranking city officials and open access given to various other groups over the City's e-mail and bulletin board systems. When the petitioners tried to express their views through a flyer posted on an open bulletin board, they were allegedly censored. The other groups are allowed, to this day, to publish whatever they'd like on the bulletin board and on e-mail systems.

According to materials provided to the United States Supreme Court, one quote from an e-mail among city employees and officials said, "I personally think the good book (Bible) needs some updating" along with other alleged attacks on Christian values. Nothing was done about this e-mail from a sitting city council member.

Other city-approved e-mails, during the same time period, announced the establishment of an "altar" for Day of the Dead, a celebration of 150 years of Jewish history in Oakland, "National Coming Out Day," "the first anti-Iraq war teach-in sponsored by a city government anywhere in the U.S.," and a "First Annual Holiday Mixer" for the Gay-Straight Employee Alliance.

I just never can grasp how lefties are SO "in favor" of free speech ... until the time arises when the speech is something they disagree with. It happens all the time on college campuses and when leftists are elected to office (see what's happening in a certain country called "Venezuela" right now).

I know I am biased (who isn't? Well, MSM types will never admit it), but I believe conservatives are much more tolerant of free speech than those on the left. Feel free to disagree and discuss.

Posted by Hube at June 9, 2007 09:56 AM | TrackBack