Improper Thought is Now a Criminal Offense

Student arrested for essay's imaginary violence
POSTED: 2:19 p.m. EDT, April 27, 2007

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Allen Lee, 18, faces two disorderly conduct charges over the creative-writing assignment, which he was given on Monday in English class at the northern Illinois school.

Students were told to "write whatever comes to your mind. Do not judge or censor what you are writing," according to a copy of the assignment.
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Officials described the essay as disturbing and inappropriate.

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So we're not even pretending there's a first amendment any more?

We must arrest those whose thoughts and speech makes us uncomfortable. Afterall, it's about the safety of our children and nothing is more important than that, right?

Colo. student arrested over Va. Tech remarks

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A University of Colorado student was arrested after making comments that classmates deemed sympathetic toward the gunman blamed for killing 32 students and himself at Virginia Tech, authorities said.

During a class discussion of Monday's massacre at Virginia Tech, the student "made comments about understanding how someone could kill 32 people," university police Cmdr. Brad Wiesley said.

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Here's an idea. You know that if we don't allow people to express unpopular views and offensive views, those views will go away and we'll have a peaceful society, that is safe for everyone. That kind of repression has always worked throughout history, right?

From the same article:

At Oregon's Lewis & Clark College, another student was detained by campus police Wednesday shortly before a vigil for the Virginia Tech victims when he was spotted wearing an ammunition belt. Portland police later determined that it was "a fashion accessory" made of spent ammunition, and said the man did not have a weapon. The belt was confiscated.

Tacky? Sure. Inappropriate? Absolutely. Worth a call to the police to investigate? Of course. Reason for the government to confiscate someone's property? Absolutely not.

It's one thing when individuals and corporations take private action against someone expressing an unpopular and inappropriate view, like in the Don Imus case. That's the organizations' right. However, when the government is arresting people and taking their property because they think and say unpopular things, then we have a big problem.

The Bill of Rights was never about protecing majority and popular views. It's about protecting the rights of the minority.

So here is your potentially seditious thought for the day. I hope I don't get on a list someplace for saying something this contraversial, but here goes:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.