U.S. Senators looking into punishing Quaran burning.

[Kubra]

People ought to deal with it without turning towards government intervention.

If you've a problem, then burn a bible. Bonus points if you do it by his church.

[Arkinesia]

Two words: Hate crime.

I hate the idea of people being charged for hateful words.

Hateful actions, like torching someone, that's different. But hateful words? …

[SaintB]

Two words: Hate crime.

I hate the idea of people being charged for hateful words.

Hateful actions, like torching someone, that's different. But hateful words? …

I don't like the idea of hate crime. All it does is serve to enforce the idea that people are somehow different by race.

[You-Gi-Owe]

if he gets prosectuted for this he'll try to sue the US government for impeding on his first amendment right but then again no one ever wins against the US in a law suite...(seriously i have reseached this alot if anyone can give me a case where the winner wasnt the US please tell me i wanna know)

Schecter Poultry v. United States

From Wikipedia;
Chief Justice Hughes wrote for a unanimous Court in invalidating the industrial "codes of fair competition" which the NIRA enabled the President to issue. The Court held that the codes violated the constitutional separation of powers as an impermissible delegation of legislative power to the executive branch. The Court also held that the NIRA provisions were in excess of congressional power under the Commerce Clause.

The Court distinguished between direct effects on interstate commerce, which Congress could lawfully regulate, and indirect, which were purely matters of state law. Though the raising and sale of poultry was an interstate industry, the Court found that the "stream of interstate commerce" had stopped in this case—Schechter's slaughterhouses bought chickens almost exclusively from intrastate wholesalers and sold completely exclusively to intrastate buyers. Any interstate effect of Schechter was indirect, and therefore beyond federal reach.

Though many considered the NIRA a "dead statute" at this point in the New Deal scheme, the Court used its invalidation as an opportunity to affirm constitutional limits on congressional power, for fear that it could otherwise reach virtually anything that could be said to "affect" interstate commerce and intrude on many areas of legitimate state power.

Justice Cardozo's concurring opinion clarified that a spectrum approach to direct and indirect effects is preferable to a strict dichotomy. Cardozo felt that in this case, Schechter was simply too small a player to be relevant to interstate commerce.

This traditional reading of the Commerce Clause was later disavowed by the Court, which, after West Coast Hotel Co. v. Parrish (1937) began to read congressional power more expansively in this area. However, more recent cases such as United States v. Lopez, 514 U.S. 549 (1995) perhaps signal a growing inclination in the Court to once again affirm limits on its scope.

[Galenaima]

If they punish this guy, I'm dropping lawsuits with every Bible burning I see, with every flag burning I see . But those happen all the time, and are allowed...therefore, this guy, while wrong, is legally protected.

[Canada Remnants]

Its like the burning of Jewish books in Nazi-Germany......

[SaintB]

Somehow I keep clicking on threads and getting the one ABOVE them.

[Buffett and Colbert]

1. If burning the U.S. Flag is protected free speech, then, IMHO, isn’t it free speech to burn a book?

Yes.

2. Why is the U.S. Government inserting itself into a matter of Religion? I know I read in the First Amendment that Congress isn’t supposed to help or hinder religious expression.

This isn't a matter of religion, but religious expression and free speech. Different.

1. Why are you spelling the book "Quaran?" That's ridiculous.

2. While I think the Pastors' actions are abhorrent, ignorant, and childish, he has the right this type of expression imo. I think cases such as Brandenburg v. Ohio limit speech enough.

[Buffett and Colbert]

It's not spelled "Quaran". It's not pronounced "Quaran".

Why the fuck are you calling it the "Quaran"?

Quaran and Koran are both accepted spellings in english.

It's minimally used. And makes no sense. As with the Qaddafi case, no transliteration will be 100% correct but some are less correct than others.

[Florin and Atlantis]

if he gets prosectuted for this he'll try to sue the US government for impeding on his first amendment right but then again no one ever wins against the US in a law suite...(seriously i have reseached this alot if anyone can give me a case where the winner wasnt the US please tell me i wanna know)

Other people have been giving examples of a company suing the Federal Government. This is an example of a person:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leary_v._United_States

Leary v. United States, 395 U.S. 6 (1969), is a U.S. Supreme Court case dealing with the constitutionality of Marijuana Tax Act. Timothy Leary, a professor and activist, was arrested for the possession of marijuana in violation of the Marijuana Tax Act. Leary challenged the act on the ground that the act required self-incrimination, which violated the Fifth Amendment. The unanimous opinion of the court was penned by Justice John Marshall Harlan II and declared the Marijuana Tax Act unconstitutional. Thus, Leary's conviction was overturned. However, Congress responded shortly after by passing the Controlled Substances Act to continue the prohibition of certain drugs in the United States.

The United States won't prosecute Jones because it's protected free speech, and people here realize that even though what he did was crazy, like the Westboro Baptist Church, it's protected by the first amendment. Muslims don't like it, and you know what? They don't HAVE TO. That's the way the world works. Many of their countries enforce extreme discrimination against women, other religions, homosexuality, etc. because their religion demands it. We won't tell them how to live though, and they better not tell us how to live. Hopefully these revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya (and the protests elsewhere) will start the overturn these medieval standards that are in place, but until then there is nothing the West can do other than try and stop these governments from massacring it's populace. Christianity (and Judaism) has some pretty dark and twisted laws in it, but most Christians have evolved their beliefs and live in the 21st century. The Bible, the Qu'ran, any holy text, should not be looked at as a way to run your country (although the Qu'ran specifically says it should).

[Bottle]

Terry Jones is a knob, but two knobs don't make a...what's the opposite of knob, anyhow?

At any rate, while Jones was definitely being a jerkwad on purpose, that doesn't mean he's responsible for the fact that some people decided to commit murder over a book. It's like a few years back when PZ Myers desecrated a communion wafer and a bunch of Catholics flipped their shit and started calling for his head...it's all bullshit, whether it's the Christians or the Muslims or the Scientologists, it's always bullshit to allow symbols of your superstitious beliefs to have more value than human life.

[Meryuma]

It's not spelled "Quaran". It's not pronounced "Quaran".

Why the fuck are you calling it the "Quaran"?

Quaran and Koran are both accepted spellings in english.

No, Quran and Koran are.

"Quaran" completely misrepresents the Arabic word, and it's not very commonly used.

[Cannot think of a name]

Terry Jones is a knob, but two knobs...make ...

...up both sides of the door?

[Genivaria]

The U.S government should stay out of religious affairs.
It should only get involved if people are getting hurt.

[The Corparation]

Probably shouldn't be charged with anything. Might be able to pin something on him for inciting violence or some shit like that. He pretty much had to of known some innocent people were going to die becasue of this.

[SaintB]

The U.S government should stay out of religious affairs.
It should only get involved if people are getting hurt.

People did get hurt...

[Genivaria]

The U.S government should stay out of religious affairs.
It should only get involved if people are getting hurt.

People did get hurt...

At which point the police should arrest the ones responsible. That is the ones who hurt/killed them.
Absurd beliefs do not excuse you from being punished for your crimes.

[Augarundus]

Two words: Hate crime.

Hate crime = criminal act motivated by hatred of a group.

Burning a book isn't a criminal act.

This is stupid; freedom of speech is only upheld when it isn't offensive?

[Augarundus]

The U.S government should stay out of religious affairs.
It should only get involved if people are getting hurt.

People did get hurt...

The pastor didn't kill anyone.

If you want to say he's morally implicated in deaths, then fine. But he isn't legally responsible for other peoples' actions.

That's like saying a rape victim was responsible for her own rape because she dressed "inappropriately". It's ludicrous.

[Occupied Deutschland]

This man is an uneducated asshole who apparently has no consideration for the probable consequences of his actions.
That said, he should still be able to take stupid actions like these. Hurrah for free speech! It's great, except when it isn't, but we do NOT want to start making exceptions.

[Mosasauria]

Two words: Hate crime.

That's the only way he could ever be prosecuted.

[Genivaria]

Two words: Hate crime.

Hate crime = criminal act motivated by hatred of a group.

Burning a book isn't a criminal act.

This is stupid; freedom of speech is only upheld when it isn't offensive?

The fact is that the government allows neo-nazis and the KKK to march to state their beliefs.
The police are on the scene to make sure noone gets hurt but it is not an endorsement.
No matter how much you may hate them, if you attack them then YOU are the guilty one.
The pastor is a moron but he has broken no law.
The people who killed others because they were offended are criminals and should go to jail.

[Hebalobia]

This is an easy one. NO, absolutely not. Remember freedom of speech and the budget deficit? Pastor Jones has as much right to make a complete ass of himself as the rest of us do. Now excuse me while I go burn a case of bibles.

[New new nebraska]

I don't agree wth the pastor's actions but what he did is free speech and constitutionally protected. I think they're probably searching for a connection like with the Tyler Clementi case. It was simple invasion of privacy but it led to the poor Rutgers student's suicide. Just like Jones' burning led to the death of 20 people. Not a clear cut link but he bears some responsibility as he knocked over the first domino so to speak. That's what I think Reid is trying to do. Although further limiting free speech for everyone is not a way to go about punishing someone for acting like an ass.

[Genivaria]

This is an easy one. NO, absolutely not. Remember freedom of speech and the budget deficit? Pastor Jones has as much right to make a complete ass of himself as the rest of us do. Now excuse me while I go burn a case of bibles.

Go for it. Its your right.