Michelle Malkin: How do you Support Our Troops?
Dear Michelle Malkin:
It's no surprise that you think that most liberals are out of control and unpatriotic, but it's your right to think as you wish. We also admire your willingness to engage in debate about the issues of the day.
But here's The Question for you: Last week's talk at Western Michigan University was sponsored by the College Republicans. After saying about Iraq, "We can't and shouldn't abandon those people and the reconstruction," did you encourage the Western Michigan University College Republicans at least to consider volunteering for military service?
Did you at least ask Chairman Matt Hall, Treasurer Derek Getman and Webmaster Nicholas Morse, the future leaders of our governing party, to set a good example for the rest of us?
posted by Karl @ 11/21/2005 12:17:00 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
I actually think it's more useful to hold, along with Stanley Fish, that Ms. Malkin DOES NOT have the "right" to think as she wishes, if those thoughts are manifested in hateful, dangerous speech. It turns out that ideas have lives of their own, and that the ideas to which we supposedly have a "right" often become actions. There is no excuse for censorship, however. Not because it infringes upon a right that doesn't exist (outside of government abridgement, there is no de jure right to speech) but because censorship is unnecessary in a righteous society. The truth is, if we were better people and we stood on our societal principles, broadly defined, people like Malkin would be unable to garner anything but scorn for their outrageous opinions. In short, a society that does not tolerate idiot speech does not breed idiot thought. So, to dissent from one presumption, Ms. Malkin, you may not "think as you wish" because this is not a game of theoretics. This is real life, and reasonable people--even many Republicans--used to know that.
Thank you. My comment was directed in the legal direction (First Amendment) rather than the social sphere, where, as you have indicated, objectionable speech may be marginalized.
Michelle Malkin has First Amendment rights, but so do we. Hence, Operation Yellow Elephant and the blogosphere.
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