Words as Sticks and Stones

I find it fascinating that an issue can be made of the fact that using any communication medium menacingly is protected by the right to free speech. As a lawyer, I can appreciate the legal subtleties involved in the speech area, but I am appalled at the misuse of legal discourse and reasoning behind the efforts to justify improper behavior in it. The far-reaching and pervasive nature of media such as Facebook and Twitter makes truly distressing messages a concern for the peace of mind and safety of those who receive and are the object of such communications. To suggest--as has been the case of a U.S. woman subject to 8,000 menacing Twitter posts-- that this is akin to an unkind book review or some other unpleasant expression is an outrageous comparison.

Granted that everyone is entitled to a legal defense, but there is a moral dimension to the law, and it shouldn't be ignored, lest we end up giving aid and comfort to those who are bent on causing harm on a person or society at large.

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