This article is an important one for those who care about freedom to read. To condemn an organization like the ACLU because it defends the rights of scumbags to speak their minds is to not understand the meaning of and the reason for freedom of speech in a democratic society. There have been many incidents lately when institutions such as universities and groups with liberal leanings have acted illiberally by trying to keep those with terrible ideas from telling others of those ideas. Such moves to silence are stupid moves because they do not make the terrible ideas go away, only help to hide them when exposure might allow right action against their having any effect on people’s lives. And, too, it makes censorship acceptable and it cannot be made acceptable if we care to have a free society. It places some in charge of determining which ideas get heard and which do not. Is there really anyone we should trust to make such decisions? When we hear something obnoxious we have both a right and duty to point out what is obnoxious about what we are hearing. We do not have the right to take away freedom of speech from those we think obnoxious. They probably think us obnoxious and they have no right to interfere with our speaking of what we believe to be true and right.
