Policing Speech on the Airwaves: Granting Rights, Preventing Wrongs

When a speaker expresses general revolutionary rhetoric or denigrates various domestic "enemies," the speech is protected as a necessary byproduct of a vibrant democracy. Such expression has historically come from both left and right-wing perspectives. Suppose, however, that a media personality on radio or television repeatedly informs the audience that the President is permitting Mexicans and Vietcongs to cross the border from Mexico with bombs that will destroy the bridges over the Mississippi River, and urges listeners to "load those weapons . . and take care of the problem."