“I think we can be more aggressive in the way that we handle that type of use on the internet,” continued Cardin, who touted Europe’s hate speech laws and suggested that “we have to learn from each other.”

While Senator Cardin seems relatively well-versed in Europe’s more censorious legal framework, it seems that his three-and-a-half decades of swearing oaths to the American Constitution have not blessed him with even a working knowledge of the document.

The First Amendment reads: “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech.” Notice that there are no exceptions, exemptions, or qualifiers attached to that pronouncement. Jurisprudence around the First Amendment is no kinder to Cardin’s assertions.

Case law decrees that the government has little ability to regulate so-called hate speech, or even violent speech, be it narrowly or broadly defined.

[Unfortunately, Cardin’s view is becoming the prevailing opinion on speech — which is why having a First Amendment is so crucial to our liberty. — Ed]