Like all of you, my stomach just turns at the sight of these Palin pitch-fork laden thugs shouting hate speech at the Palin rallies.
I believe these rallies have transformed from mere political speech to dangerous assemblies which if gone unchecked may pose physical danger to Obama
Political speech is given wide-latitude under the First Amendment. The mere fact that untrue, distorted, and otherwise repugnant statements advanced by a candidate or groups is not sufficient to be challenged or otherwise regulated in any way. Broad First Amendment rights protect such speech.
I believe that the current atmosphere encouraged by the McCain/Palin rallies do not fall within this category.
By linking Obama to terrorists, we now have a situation where rallies have been transformed into little more than KKK-type rallies where the hate-filled speech now inspires crowds to chant that he is a terrorist and most disturbing has prompted persons to call for killing Obama.
I firmly believe these are serious, dangerous people whose bigotry and hated is fermented by these rallies. Unbalanced skin-head types now appear to be parts of these rallies.
As history has shown us, it takes only one nut to forever alter the course of events.
I believe the Secret Service should inform McCain that certain comments advanced by Palin have now encouraged rallies to be little more than mobs--that the Palin has never attempted to discourage any member of the group from calling Obama a terrorist or to admonish any member of the mob to back away from uttering any comment from their call for the murder of Obama.
I am old enough to live through the murder of JFK, MLK, and RFK. I am fearful that the hateful and dangerous speeches which whip the crowds into a frenzy calling a political candidate a terrorist and which have been shown to provoke cries for the murder of Obama deserves heightened scrutiny by the Secret Service. At the very least, the MCain/Palin campaign should at least be warned their actions should be reviewed by the campaign.
This is not a call for regulation of speech. And admittedly, the campaign could probably ignore Secret Service warnings about the danger of the Palin rallies. There is no prior restraint from such rhetoric.
But the fact that the Secret Service and FBI are now looking for the person who called for the killing of Obama is only the first step.
McCain/Palin should be encouraged to desist on its own from rhetoric which has now been shown to encourage such violence.
This obviously cannot be transformed into state action since that itself could provoke serious First Amendment protections. I believe the First Amendment protects hate-filled speech, which is often seen by KKK members marching through Jewish communities. This is the price we pay for the right to free speech and must not be abridged by the government.
This does not prevent law enforcement authorities from at least cautioning candidates that certain rhetoric may in fact provoke danger and violence. What the candidates do after this is up to them.
They may simply reject such warnings and continue their hate speech.
Still--speeches at political rallies which have now been shown to inspire danger and violence should at the very least be brought to their attention.