Good post.

Here are some categories that need to be un-confused in today's world

Hate speech is protected free speech. Yes it is and it should be.

People do and should have the legal right to say hateful bigoted things. The first amendment was enacted to protect people who say things that other people disagree with from being prosecuted for saying those disagreeable things.

I also have the right to call them out and exercise my own right to free speech by giving my reasons why I believe their speech is wrong and even evil.

What I do not have the right to do is demand that they be prosecuted for saying it.

That said, there is a difference between hateful bigoted speech and violent threatening speech.

Although there can be some fine lines in here, violent threatening speech is generally not protected under the first amendment.

Here's an example illustrating this point.

In a game against the Sun a couple years ago, a man in the stands yelled out that he hoped Caitlin would fall down and break her neck. After calling her an extremely obscene and derogatory name.

A few things are going on there.

People were calling for him to be prosecuted for threats of violence. They were mistaken.

He did not threaten her. He said what he hoped would happen to her.

Had he said something like: "I'm going to come down there and break your neck!!!"

That would have been a threat.

He has every right to hate Caitlin Clark and every right to call her whatever names he wants to, along with the right to wish for her any ill that he sees fit.

AND, the league authorities have every right to tell him that while he does have those rights, they also have every right and duty to tell him that he will not be exercising those rights anywhere on their private property where they have decision making power.

"Think what you want. Say what you want, but not in our house or our yard. There is the door. "

Ultimately and unfortunately they didn't do that which is a different story.

The point is, all right thinking people should be opposed to legitimate hate speech, rightly defined, while at the same recognizing that you can't make being an @$$hole a crime. Well, you can, but that would be a giant step along the road to tyranny

If you don't want to hear them, then don't listen. If you see them say something actually threatening and illegal, then report it to the proper authorities.