Graffiti act of vandalism, not freedom of expression
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Editor,
A great Revolutionary War patriot once wrote, “I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will surely fight for your right to say it.”
The incident in Polson last week was not a simple act of vandalism. Neither was it an expression of free speech. It was an act of an enemy of freedom itself. For what value is freedom of speech, if we do not also have the freedom to think? To think differently and not become vicious is the basis of a free society.
If it is only about power to destroy and malign then we have become as the Nazis in Germany towards those with whom we disagree. Freedom of thought demands the right to do so without an inappropriate response. It is worthy for our brethren on the progressive side to note that the Nazi Party was the Socialist Party. That is correct, even your left-leaning ideas have a terrible history to bear in mind. And further, do not forget that it was in the name of socialism and progress that Stalin purged nearly 40 million people in Russia.
Keep your ideas of progress and achieving a better society, but remember, the incident in Polson at the Republican headquarters is a manifestation of the same temperament and actions that these other less principled leftists employed. Is that the society you want? Shall we govern by fear and terror, or by discourse and law? You choose.
Chris T. Dawson
Polson
