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| The controversial display in the House of Delegates |
A woman's First Amendment rights were pushed to the limit in the "Republicans Take the Rotunda" event in West Virginia's House of Delegates. Outside the House, a South Charleston resident put up a rather distasteful display featuring an image of the destruction of the Twin Towers, followed by an image of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, a native of Somalia, captioned "'Never Forget', you said / I am the proof you have forgotten," as well as pamphlets titled "The Four Stages of Islamic Conquest" and "Readin', Writin', and Jihadin'." The display caused a good deal of outrage inside the House, including a Delegate forcibly opening a door during prayer, the resignation of the sergeant at arms, and a series of speeches by numerous House representatives. Many representatives came out and condemned the display, but a few also argued that this is an example of freedom of speech, and that it is something that should be protected. Delegate Diana Graves says that "While I may not agree with everything out there, I do agree that freedom of speech is something we have to protect." Which brings us to the question: how far can the First Amendment protect us when we speak of such unacceptable actions? And who dictates what is acceptable or otherwise?
An article about the event can be found here.
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