Atheist charged with blasphemy

[Enrico Salazar]

This is what Enrico try to tell people...  there will always be more monkey.

[Doktor Howl]

Freedom is only for the cool kids.

[Kai]

I think the guy is an asshole, but the worst thing that should be thrown on him is a vandalism lawsuit. That, and general disdain.

[Doktor Howl]

I think the guy is an asshole, but the worst thing that should be thrown on him is a vandalism lawsuit. That, and general disdain.

THIS.

Petty vandalism, yes.

Badwrong speech, no.

[Doktor Howl]

That being said, I give it less than 10 years before we have blasphemy laws here, again.

[Jasper]

It's unconstitutional. 

[Enrico Salazar]

 

[Doktor Howl]

It's unconstitutional. 

You're so 20th century.  Besides, what's the constitution, when stacked up against peoples' feelings?

People are hurting out there, Sig.  They feel grossly offended, and this can't be allowed to continue.

[Jasper]

I was hoping someone would get it.

[Doktor Howl]

I was hoping someone would get it.

Yeah, I feel kinda dumb.   

You actually had me believing you cared about the constitution for a minute. 

[Jasper]

Sheesh.

It's a dig at other unconstitutional bills that have been passed lately.

The joke has been explained, and the funny is dead.  Now look what you made me do.

[Triple Zero]

He does have the wrong values.  He thinks that offending people with dirty pictures is a valid means of challenging church doctrine.  He is not only giving them a reason to lock him away and shut him up, he is giving them ammunition to be used against ME when I try to discuss religion with people.  Fuck this guy.  Him, Dawkins, and all the other prats who make my stance a tasteless joke in popular discourse.

No this is not the point.

Yes the guy is an asshole probably.

If he would have it in a church, maybe you cuold have given the man a fine for being an asshole breaking the house rules of a church or something, depending on local laws and such.

But this is not the case. He left a bunch of NSFW WOMPs in a public prayer room in an airport.

This is not "hate speech". Hate speech is when you incite or threaten with violence. If the flyers had said "DIE YOU CHRISTIAN DOGS DIE" or "IMMA SODOMIZE YOUR ASS", that is hate speech.

This incident is on the same level as throwing toiletpaper all over the floor of a public toilet. In the sense that it annoys people or perhaps even ruins their experience when making use of a public facility. And because apart from that, it doesn't really accomplish anything, it's IMO dickish and childish.

It is in NO WAY something somebody should run the risk of going to jail over.

The most you can hope for, would be to somehow prove that he caused damages in some way (such as could be done with the toilet mess example above), and give him a fucking fine. A fine, but no more.

Justice?

Come on.

This is not the sort of thing the law should "protect" us against.

People get away with so much more tiny things. Bad, disgusting and detestable tiny things that I sometimes too wish they would not get away with. Over here, junkies sometimes even get caught with theft or handling stolen goods, they get a note, or a stern talking to, at most one night in the cell and then they walk. Why? Because our justice system has more important things* to do, that's why.

But somebody leaves a bunch of tasteless flyers in a prayer room and you want them thrown into jail??? That's ... what does that even ... accomplish? You already host 25% of the world's prison population, more than 1% of your nation.



* Such as making sure the quotum of fines is on target at the end of the year by putting out extra surveillance on bikers using proper bicycle lights (white front, red backlights!) switched on when it's dark.

[Jasper]

You know that this didn't happen in the states, right?  Liverpool.

Also, will people please stop putting words in my mouth.  There are plenty there already.  I never said he should go to jail and I never said I think that this is a good law to have, I'm saying I won't bother to be outraged in support of his right to make atheism a joke.

[East Coast Hustle]

WHUTEVER, OPPRESSOR MCOPRESSORSON!
\

[Doktor Howl]

You know that this didn't happen in the states, right?  Liverpool.

Also, will people please stop putting words in my mouth.  There are plenty there already.  I never said he should go to jail and I never said I think that this is a good law to have, I'm saying I won't bother to be outraged in support of his right to make atheism a joke.

Atheism is a joke, just like any other belief system.