Watch What You Say

I just listened to a radio story about an Muslim man who was arrested here in the United States and sentenced to 10 years for advocating that Muslims should travel to Afghanistan to fight in jihad against the Americans in the months after the September 11th attack. I don't know how I feel about that. He was supposedly at a party when he advocated this and, supposedly, someone turned him in.

Freedom of speech is a tricky thing (looping my thumb through my suspenders, Jimmy Stewart style). No one thinks that all speech should be legal, right? That's where the whole "fire in a crowded theater" test comes in. I don't know the facts of his case, but I think it's reasonable to say that, generally, if someone incites a crowd to act in a way that would pose a reasonable threat to life or property, then there should be criminal consequences.

An interesting thing happened today when I turned on my computer. Ann Coulter, during an address to a crowd at a college, advocated the assassination of one of our top judicial officials. According to the story, she added, "That's just a joke, for you in the media."

She was speaking to a college audience, though, not the press club.

I don't think she was serious, and I don't think she should go away for 10 years because of a very, very, very, very, very, very tasteless joke. But--like in the first case--shouldn't she get some punishment? Maybe have her passport revoked? What would happen to her if her joke became a prophecy?

I know! She should have to hire a professional body guard for the victim of this cruel joke.