[kosta50]

They're whittling away at it, and hate crime laws are used to punish any acts committed by people who use hate speech more severely than the same acts committed without the speech. But the 1st still stands

There is speech that is protected under the 1st Amendment are speech that is not. If you yell "Fire" in a crowded movie theater, where there was no fire, you have not acted. You just spoke, right? Well, that "speech" is not protected, i.e. allowed because of the intended goal.

First Amendment stands inasmuch as the legal experts agree on its scope. The Amendment itself is very clear -- it places no limit to the freedom of religion or speech, and it gives the Congress no power to abridge them by laws. The crux is the definition of speech...and that can be rather interesting.

If you are willing to read through some of it, here is the link.

[Restorer]

You are correct that there are limits to free speech. However, I still have the right to publicly state my dislike of or hatred for Jews, blacks, Serbs, Croats, Australians, environmentalists, Norwegians, Bushmen, or any other group, as long as that speech is not accompanied by an illegal ACT.

BTW, I have nothing against ANY of the groups above. Just using them as examples.