A Michigan hate speech bill that passed the state House and is now in the hands of the Senate is alarming Americans across the country.
The bill, HB 4474, would make it a hate crime to cause someone to “feel terrorized, frightened, or threatened” by using words. Under the bill, “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” are included as classes protected against intimidation.
If passed, the hate speech legislation would make violators guilty of a felony punishable by five years in prison and a fine of $10,000. William Wagner, a former federal judge, said:
“Make no mistake about it.
“Those advocating for this legislation will wield these policies as a weapon capable of destroying conservative expression or viewpoints grounded in the sacred.
“One merely needs to look at the scores of cases brought against schools, churches, businesses, and individuals around our country.
“Proponents use these laws to silence and financially cripple those who dare to adhere to a different viewpoint and oppose their agenda.”
The bill says:
“Intimidate’ means a willful course of conduct involving repeated or continuing harassment of another individual that would cause a reasonable individual to feel terrorized, frightened, or threatened, and that actually causes the victim to feel terrorized, frightened, or threatened.”
According to The Washington Examiner:
Any kind of discrimination against a minority or a particular group of people is unacceptable and should be taken seriously.
Michigan’s new bill, which prosecutes based on feelings, does not take it seriously. Someone’s subjective feelings, or even a lie about his or her subjective feelings, could land somebody jail time and ruin a life.
“Hate speech” accusations are designed with one outcome in mind: censorship. “Hate speech” is usually not hateful speech. What often constitutes “hate speech” is any language that opposes popular narrative. This label is causing damage to our nation.
We find frequent examples of its effects in how it muffles free speech on college campuses.
The state of Michigan just passed a law that will make it a felony if you say something that makes someone feel threatened. Holy shit. https://t.co/D6DS436jks
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) June 28, 2023
