Monday, August 14, 2017

Honor the Constitution

I am Jewish. Some of my family members were murdered by the Nazis. I absolutely despise Nazis. I am reading friends' social media posts saying that Nazis must not be allowed to speak in America. While I agree that what Nazis say is reprehensible, I have to say that those calling for depriving them of that right have little understanding of the US Constitution. Only controversial speech needs Constitutional protection. If I say "nice weather we're having", no one is going to try to stifle my speech. If I say "I love pasta", no one will try to silence me. If I say something utterly objectionable like "Hitler was right", many people might try to deny my right to speak. It is precisely that kind of inflammatory agitation that necessitates the First Amendment. To love the Constitution, occasionally means tolerating those with no tolerance for our values.

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