Difficult Civil Rights Question

[Stormieweather]

Here's the bottom line. You can't tell people what to think or believe in.

If laws are passed telling Joe Blow and Susy Sweet that they can't believe in X, then laws can be passed telling you that you can't believe in Y. Once you start regulating what beliefs are allowable, you deny people their humanity. You will lose the basis for all of our other freedoms which renders them useless. As distasteful as it may be, if Joe Blow wants to believe that certain races are sub-human, that IS his right...just as you have the right to believe they are equal.


From the international human rights law, the UDHR http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Univers...f_Human_Rights, article 18:

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

The laws we have are anti-discrimination. These give all men the right to equal treatment, regardless of race, sex, religion, age, etc. Joe Blow can still 'think' certain citizens are sub-human but legally, he cannot treat them any differently than anyone else.

So this policeman does have the right to belong to a hate group, such as the KKK (because it is NOT an illegal ie: subversive group), but should he put those 'beliefs' into practice, he can get fired for discrimination.

Stormie