Psalm 109:8 reads: "Let his days be few; and let another take his office."
By now, we've all seen the story about certain radicals pushing t-shirts and bumper stickers containing biblical references that are veiled allusions to assassinating President Obama.
But in spite of how offensive and dangerous that rhetoric may be, it is not illegal. Yes, we all know what it implies. But its protected speech.
And beyond that? There will be more radicals. There will be more t-shirts, more bumper stickers, more talk radio shows, more websites that blur the boundary between protected speech and credible threat.
Somewhere out there in the interwebs, there is - right now - another print shop akin to Cafe Press that is more than happy step up and fill the void.
There are several people - here and elsewhere - who have suggested that such rhetoric should be illegal, as it advocates the assassination of President Obama. That people found wearing t-shirts bearing such slogans should be arrested and thrown in jail. That it should be a crime to display certain bumper stickers.
Sadly, I have seen veiled references to Obama's assassination everywhere since he dethroned Hillary Clinton as the presumptive nominee during the primary season leading up to 2008. I have seen angry mobs, foaming and frothing at the mouth, supposedly rallying together in opposition to healthcare reform, but bearing signs and slogans that suggest otherwise. Clearly, nobody at these rallies is foaming and frothing about healthcare. The signs; the slogans; the anger-- all of these things belie the given reason for their outrage. When you show up at a rally with a sign that says "Death to Obama", its pretty clear what you're driving at.
But in spite of my recognition of the very dangerous political reality that currently exists out there in are country, I caution against going down a path that involves censoring anything that pushes the boundary between protected speech and true threat. I caution against urging the police to arrest people wearing "Psalm 109:8" t-shirts, even if they do imply something sinister. I caution against this path, because its a bad one.
You see, this here is America. And if you want to argue that the Constitution matters, then it matters all the time-- not just when its on your side. The same people - who ignore the Constitution - and urge these slogans be criminalized... are probably the people who were outraged over the previous administration's decision to.. you guessed it.. ignore the Constitution whenever convenient. And the Constitution, as applied here, makes one thing clear: even these wackos have rights.
Properly stated, this is not a matter of legality, as I can assure you that printing t-shirts and bumper stickers with dangerous rhetoric is entirely legal. Not only is the speech in question political, it is also religious. As such, it is entitled to a heightened level of protection. Beyond this, the language is ambiguous. Sure, we know what some wackos are implying. But on its face, the language isn't clear enough to contend that it amounts to a clear threat, i.e., a dictate to kill the President.
Certainly, companies have every right to make decisions regarding the products they make or sponsor. And Cafe Press - as a private entity - has every right to say that certain content runs afoul of its policies. That seems - to most of us - like the reasonable and prudent thing to do. So good for Cafe Press. But where does that leave us?
Here. A conservative or radical print-shop - under the First Amendment - has every right to print the very same t-shirts. And although today's developments represent Cafe Press taking reasonable, pro-active steps to address very real concerns, this victory is a small one. Because the wackos will simply take their business elsewhere. And I can guarantee you that, somewhere, right now, out in the interwebs, another print shop is humming away, making those same damn t-shirts.
So we'll see more of these shirts and bumper stickers printed by smaller outfits with more radical agendas. Its a trade off. You win here, but it makes the true believers more ardent; more dogged in their attempts at getting their message out; more radical; more isolated. Its a catch 22. The radicals are still there, finding alternative channels by which to get out their message. Which will be the same: fearmongering; hate; veiled incitement to violence; etc. An ideology.
We're fighting an ideology. And you don't defeat an ideology just by shutting down one operation. Just like you don't defeat "terrorism" by killing one radical cleric. We've got to fight their ideas with better ideas. We've got to fight their messages with better messages. We've got to bring this insanity out into the light of day, and call it out for what it is: stupid, delusional, not in keeping with the teachings of Christ. Yes, you heard me right. If people want to start dropping bible verses, then we have to be ready to meet them where they're at. Expose this bullshit, but do it in whatever way will get through to them.
Because we are just 10 months into Obama's term as president. And I can guarantee you - Cafe Press or not - things will get even crazier.