Protecting free speech.On February 14, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas COURT OF COMMON PLEAS. The name of an English court which was established on the breaking up of the aula regis, for the determination of pleas merely civil. It was at first ambulatory, but was afterwards located. Judge Pamela Dembe dismissed alleged "hate crimes" charges against four members of a Christian group calling itself "Repent America Repent America (RA) is a Christian evangelistic organization based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. According to their website, RA "desires to be in the full Will of God and to adhere entirely to the teachings of the Bible. ." The four had been charged with violating a 1982 Pennsylvania law that criminalizes inciting "hatred" on the basis of race, color, religion, nationality nationality, in political theory, the quality of belonging to a nation, in the sense of a group united by various strong ties. Among the usual ties are membership in the same general community, common customs, culture, tradition, history, and language. , or sexuality. (See "Hate Crimes Prosecution in Philadelphia" in the November 15, 2004 issue of THE NEW AMERICAN.) The Christian group had been charged with the "crime" of protesting and refusing to move away from Philadelphia's so-called gay pride "Outfest" last October. ("Outing" is homosexual jargon for public manifestation man·i·fes·ta·tion n. An indication of the existence, reality, or presence of something, especially an illness. manifestation (man´ifestā´sh of one's disorder.) "You cannot stifle free speech because you don't want to hear it," said Judge Dembe. The leader of the group, Michael Marcavage, stated after the ruling: "It's a good thing to know that there are still some judges who respect the First Amendment." |
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