Today marks the beginning of Free Speech Week
For all the disagreements we may have the one thing we can all agree that without the 1st amendment and the rights thereto we wouldn’t be able to have those debates.
And yes, that right extends to everyone, even if you think they have idiotic opinions. It applies to liberals and conservatives, to Republicans and Democrats and Independents (and everyone else along the way). It belongs to people you agree with all the time and to people you think are not just total idiots but even those you think are full of ignorance or hate.
You can disagree with them, you can fight them at the ballot box, but you cannot take away their rights.
And in that vein might we all commit ourselves to a more civil debate. Less name calling and more fact citing. Less slander and more back and forth discussion.
Remember free speech is not just for the popular view but for the unpopular as well.
And take some time this week to celebrate that fact (heck maybe even compliment someone whose opinions you loathe).