I'm going to exercise my constitutional First Amendment
rights and break silence for a bit because I believe that if we do not continue
to exercise our constitutional rights, we will lose them.
We are at a crossroads where our rights are being threatened.
There are those who belong to influential movements - outside our country as
well as domestically - who do not share the same convictions and passion for
defending our constitution and our freedoms the same way as patriots who have
sworn with their lives in the defense of our country and constitution do and
have done in years past.
For these special interest groups, rather than standing up
for freedom of speech, religion, the press and the right to peaceably assemble
(as well as other amendments contained in what is known as the Bill of Rights),
it is more important for them to promote their own interests alone,
disregarding the rights of others.
For lack of better terminology, we live in a hostile world.
There are many things, too numerous to number, that are offensive, destructive,
and even harmful. We need to delineate and distinguish between those that can
cause us actual harm and those we simply deem offensive.
In order to preserve that which we hold dear to us: our
sacred beliefs, our religions, the thoughts in our hearts and minds, that which
we teach our children in our own homes and in our sacred sanctuaries... it is
IMPERATIVE that we also tolerate that which we feel is offensive to us. If we
cherish what we believe, we must also allow others to express their beliefs as
well... and we must accept criticisms of our beliefs.
We are all going to be offended. That is a fact of life. I
can't even take a drive down the street or visit a public place without finding
something that is offensive to me in one way or other. I can't attend school or
go shopping or turn on the TV or even go to church without finding something
that offends me. To rise up and force others to bow to my whims because I find
something offensive oversteps another's rights of free expression. To
litigiously compel individuals and business owners to cater to my every desire
because otherwise I would be offended is a violation of that person's
constitutional rights - which violates not only the business owner's First
Amendment rights, but could also trample on his or her Sixth Amendment rights
as well.
We must be cautious of what "rights" we promote as
our own because as we abuse the courts for our own purposes, we set precedence
for that which we certainly will find offensive and even to the point of
destroying the very constitution that we are using as our legal leverage...
because the end result is censorship. Censorship is one of the first steps
toward tyranny. When the government gets involved in managing our personal affairs,
the less liberties we enjoy.
Tolerance is a two-way street. I do not agree with every
decision that is enacted into law and some I find very offensive, but it would
behoove me to at least tolerate and recognize those laws. Likewise, I would
expect reciprocation on the part of others, who disagree with or would find
offense in my particular beliefs as I exercise my constitutional rights. To
only recognize one group's or one person's constitutional rights (as
interpreted by members of the Supreme Court) but to impede or nullify another's
rights is unbalanced and the end result will most certainly bring about
unintended consequences - because in everything, there are natural laws of
equilibrium. There can't NOT be a rebalancing of powers. Throughout history
this results in uprising, rebellions and physical violence. We do NOT want
this.
Those who truly believe in peace will work toward peaceful
resolutions which require tolerance on ALL sides. Those who are religious must
tolerate that which is considered to be the most vile and offensive while those
who eschew religion or who have alternative or unconventional religious beliefs
should also tolerate those beliefs - especially considering that the majority
of citizens in our country adhere to a spiritual belief system. Those with
differing beliefs must also tolerate not only what they deem offensive, but
accept inconveniences that come about as a result of religious preference.
In the end, we must work toward unity or our methods of
divisiveness will rip our nation apart. If we continue down this disturbing
path, the end result will result in destruction and violence like we have never
experienced before. We cannot achieve love through hatred.
One final thought: It is more important to Do right than to
Be right.
