When I was growing up, schools, parents, and most people I met proposed that you only succeeded through your own merits. You had to fight for your rightful place in the world. Nothing would be given to you. Although, there was the fact that the first 12 years of schooling was provided by the local government, not the Federal Government.

When did we decide that everyone’s personal beliefs, values, gender, race, ethnic background, religion, or political activism takes precedence over the individual. When did we decide that society can shut down free speech that does not match the vocal minority of the population.

I remember thinking that it was not right to have White Supremacists march through Jewish neighborhoods, and yet it happened when I was growing up. That was my first experience with the value of free speech. Never would I agree with their philosophy, but when we start shutting down free speech because we don’t agree with the message, where does it stop?

I have an opinion on various topics. I should be able to share my opinion, and you should be able to share yours. Noone’s opinion should be shouted down, violently shut down, or eliminated from a free society.

Freedom of speech, freedom to associate, and freedom to protest should be allowed, so long as it does not interfere with the freedom of others. This means you have the right to protest on public property, but you don’t have the right to protest on my private property or anyone else’s. You have the right to protest as long as you don’t impede my ability or anyone else’s ability to walk, drive, or be transported through a public area.

Freedom is a right of all of us. It is not just you, not just the protesters, not just the disenfranchised, and not just the government. Freedom to share beliefs on all topics including some of the so called politically correct topics needs to be allowed in all areas, especially our schools where young minds should be taught how to think for themselves, not how to be propagandized by other people, schools, the government and others who have a vested interest in one select opinion.

I am an individual, not a group, nor will I ever become a group. I may share similar opinions, but I will never become a sheep, and let others decide my opinions.

Talking Haid