First Amendment Challenge by Neo-Nazis

First case involves a demonstration in Olympia. About 12 neo-Nazi were doing their thing - wearing brown shirts, boots, and spewing hate - and exercising their First Amendment rights to do so. There was a counter-demonstration that was much larger, the police were out in force, and no violence ensued.

My comment to Congress:
These obnoxious twits are much more offensive than flag burners, because they are using "pure speech" as opposed to "symbolic speech". Also, I might add, they are spewing the hate and ideas our veterans ofWWII were actually fighting against; these were the emotional and intellectual descendents of those that actually shot at, bombed, and torpedoed Americans and the rest of the free world during WWII.

Since the late 1960's (Brandenberg v. Ohio) the Supreme Court has allowed these types of groups to protest regardless of their obnoxious and hateful messages. No great harm has come of it. Dealing with unpopular or just plain stupid ideas is the price we pay for a vibrant, open national dialogue we can have under our Constitution.

Stop the damn political posturing over flag burning! It is insulting to this nation's history of freedom of expression and the ideals we have fought for in so many ways since the First Amendment was ratified.

Don't let a few flag-burners or misguided neo-Nazis shake your belief in freedom. Leave the First Amendment alone!