So, this is one of those times I just want to scream at the government. To be precise, local government.
Local governments make me want to scream frequently because they infringe on First Amendment rights more than any other branch of government. I think it is because most local governments don't have the knowledge or resources to understand what they can and cannot do when it comes to speech and assembly.
In my neck of the woods, a local government has gone to extremes to prohibit speech and assembly. The speaker is repugnant, but the censorship is worse. If we don't protect the speech of the lunatic fringe, soon all of our speech will be censored. If we try to stop the hate speech, we just fuel the fire of the supporters to react more aggressively.
I could say so much more on this topic. I believe in free speech. It is one of the most important civil liberties we have in this country. But, I don't have the time today to pontificate further. Instead, I ask you: Who would you be without free speech?
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