> Free speech doesn't include the freedom to shout fire in a crowded theatre.
It most certainly does! There is absolutely nothing to prevent one from
shouting "FIRE" in a crowded theatre.
Actually, it doesn't. When I was on-staff at the computer center at Dartmouth,
our provost also happened to be a first-amendment scholar, and he gave us an impromptu
speech about the first amendment at a staff meeting :-)
The US Supreme Court recognizes a couple exceptions to the broad permission to
speak freely:
- Shouting fire in a crowded theater is explicitly prohibited because of the obvious
danger and risk of injury.
- "Fighting words", that by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite
an immediate breach of the peace". [Wikipedia] The example he gave was this: someone
standing on a soapbox in Hanover NH, saying that we should storm the gates in
Washington and burn the place down is just exercising their free speech rights
- there's no credible *imminent* threat. However, standing there and saying that
we should burn down the Town Hall could clearly be believed to be a real threat,
and the government would be justified in stepping in.
Rich Brown richard.e.br...@dartware.com
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66-7 Benning Street Telephone: 603-643-9600
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