Daily Archives: September 23, 2014

A Physics Approach (short)
Going after the Nobel Prize in Physics grants first amendment protection to use the lives of living people to determine the existence of parallel universes.

By: Mike Wallace

Originally posted here:
A Physics Approach (short) - Video

By Katie Kilmartin | Published 10 hours ago

Greg Lukianoff is the presidentof the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education and the keynote speaker at UNC's sixth annual First Amendment Day, which is put on by theUNC Center for Media Law andPolicy.

Staff Writer Katie Kilmartin asked him questions about what he plans to talk about, his opinion on UNC's First Amendment climate and more.

DAILY TAR HEEL:What are your thoughts on UNCs ranking as one of the worst 10 universities for free speech?

GREG LUKIANOFF:I was disappointed that I had to include UNC on this years list. I explain my reasons in that piece which you can find here:http://huff.to/1qoIv5M

Im quite sure I will be getting questions about it tomorrow!

DTH:What do you plan to speak about at the Keynote Address for First Amendment Day?

GL:Tomorrow, I plan to talk about, of course, the First Amendment, but beyond that the larger principles of freedom of speech itself and why I believe those principles are under threat. Make no mistake about it, free speech is an eternally radical idea, so it is always under threat at all times in human history.

I will also talk about my first book Unlearning Liberty, and my new short book, Freedom From Speech, in which I lay out my causes for concern for speech going forward.

DTH:What main ideas do you hope people will take away from you address?

Continue reading here:
Q&A with First Amendment Day speaker Greg Lukianoff

DANA DiFILIPPO, Daily News Staff Writer difilid@phillynews.com, 215-854-5934 Posted: Tuesday, September 23, 2014, 3:01 AM

WHEN an anti-Islamic group decided to advertise on city buses and billboards this fall with photos of a terrorist poised to behead an American and a Muslim leader smiling at Adolf Hitler, transit officials in New York and Washington, D.C., huffed their disapproval - but allowed the ads to run.

They had no choice, they said, because the ads were protected under the First Amendment.

SEPTA's officials disagreed and rejected the ads.

But the group behind the ads - the American Freedom Defense Initiative - won't surrender quietly. The New Hampshire-based group sued SEPTA in federal court last week, complaining that the transit agency violated AFDI's free-speech rights.

One local First Amendment expert says SEPTA picked an unwinnable fight.

"The most fundamental principle of the First Amendment is that you may never bar any message based upon the content of the message," said Burton Caine, a law professor at Temple University and past president of the Philadelphia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. "This is absolutely prohibited, what SEPTA is doing.

"Everybody has this same idea that they like the First Amendment," Caine said, "but when the speech is offensive, people will make all kinds of excuses why it's not protected. The whole point of the First Amendment is to protect speech that offends. No exceptions."

A federal judge said as much in 2012, ruling that the AFDI could post ads in New York City and Washington, D.C., that compared Muslim jihadists to "savages."

Go here to see the original:
SEPTA's ad refusal sparks free-speech fight

By Kate Albers | Published 9 hours ago

Gary Birdsong speaks in the Pit on Monday morning. Birdsong has been preaching on campus since the early 1980s.

Some people come to UNC for the academics, clubs or sports. But Gary Birdsong, commonly known as the Pit Preacher, comes to UNC because of a divine inspiration.

God gave me the desire, he said. If you dont have a desire, you cant do it, especially on college campuses.

Birdsong said he began preaching at UNC in the early 1980s. He has traveled to schools all over the nation, including nearby institutions like N.C. State University and Duke University.

Birdsong said before he was saved and began preaching, he spent time with members of The Brotherhood and Hells Angels biker clubs.

After his religious transformation, he attended Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas, Texas, and he visited Israel for a few months. He met Brother Jed Smock, who also preaches on college campuses, and started sharing his testimony as well.

Birdsong said hes glad he has the protections under the First Amendment, but he wouldnt stop preaching even if it werent allowed.

I dont care if I have it or not, Birdsong said. If God tells me to do it, Ill do it.

Freshman Bryan Labra said that Monday was his first time listening to Birdsong in the Pit. He said he thinks Birdsong should be allowed to preach on campus and that he does not abuse freedom of speech under the First Amendment.

Here is the original post:
Pit Preacher Gary Birdsong claims First Amendment rights