Sept 26 2025 - "Hate speech" is in the ear of the beholder

Charlie Kirk himself before his murder put it bluntly, “Hate speech does not exist legally in America. There is ugly speech, gross speech, there’s evil speech, and all of it is protected by the First Amendment to keep America free.” He was right. There’s no such thing as hate speech in American law. The term is a political weapon, not a legal category.  For instance, the “Matthew Shepard hate crimes prevention Act 2009 was the first time Congress even tried to formalize the concept. Less than two decades before that it was just decenting thought. And that’s the . Murders is murder. Assault is assault, vandalism is vandalism. And the hate label doesn’t make the crime is worse. It just publicizes it. And it punishes people, not just for their actions, but for their beliefs.   Sponsored by the Caylor Group Wealth Management in Lynchburg Virginia. Call 434-455-7197.