March 2008

My lawyer tells me that distribution of “hate material” is governed by both federal and state statutes. It depends. Of course the KKK can distribute literature that is offensive to many but it’s not illegal since the first amendment protects them. If material tends toward advocating violence imminently it may skew towards a violation of statute.

He also said that there is a difference between unpopular speech or images or information and that which advocates imminent violence or the deposing of the government through violence (treason). And regardless of the cause, whether it may seem good to some and bad to others, that is different than advocating for the defense of a people/person.

But it really depends on the video itself and this is something he would need to see in order to give a real opinion.

Governments are also given a different set of standards than non-government entities. This is not the law but politics mixed in with custom and international norms. All of these need to be taken into account; so sometimes it is very difficult to know when you are on the wrong or right side, especially in this environment.