Petition against blasphemy laws.

[Jackie]

This petition is to be sent to the UN. It is not just to protect atheists but all religious minorities worldwide. Got this link from the @AcharyaS twitter page.

http://freethoughtnation.com/petition-to...hemy-laws/

[Heywood]

This petition is to be sent to the UN. It is not just to protect atheists but all religious minorities worldwide. Got this link from the @AcharyaS twitter page.

http://freethoughtnation.com/petition-to...hemy-laws/

With regard to the petition.....I think I could sign that. I would like it to go a little further than just condemning hate speech. I'd like to see it also condemn hate crime laws. In my mind prosecuting a crime as a hate crime instead of just a regular crime....is prosecuting someone for their thoughts in addition to prosecuting them for the crime they committed.

People should be free to think what they want to think and say what they want to say.

[Jackie]

I agree. I am for discrimination laws that protect minorities but I am not a fan of the term "hate speech". Laws already exist that say you cannot act out in violence or call others to violence.

You can find someone or a group criminally liable for calling for the harm of others. Our government went after the KKK and financially busted them and many were arrested. But none of that was about playing "thought police" it was going after them for more than merely expressing their views.

The problem with any law you write about any issue is long term. A law in the moment can benefit you but since all laws are common, that same law can be used against you. So knowing that power shifts over long periods of time, you do not want to hand that over to a majority that might get to something you yourself may want to say. Playing thought police is never a good thing. You can only agree to leave it at words and have laws based on arresting those for physically harming someone or calling for the harm of someone.

I get especially pissed at PC atheists because they do not understand that what they read on all sorts of atheist websites including this one would be banned or a call for arrest under the "hate speech" language. Power shifts over long periods. So any laws you write should take into account if the powers that be may not like what you have to say.