Land of the Free?

So much of what is said today, whether in print or on radio and television, is not designed to encourage an open exchange of ideas but to control or limit discussion through labels and name-calling. Take this word: fascism. That’s used a lot. (Are you a fascist? “Certainly not, but he/she is!”) Look up the synonyms: totalitarianism, dictatorship, repression, oppression, tyranny.

Are you willing to hold your tongue while someone else says things that absolutely makes your blood boil? Any time a group stands up to shout down another person who is speaking, that’s fascism. If roads and sidewalks are blocked to keep people from an open venue, that’s fascism. When a college shuts down a hall that has been scheduled for a presentation because they don’t like the speaker, that’s fascism. And if a teacher gives a bad grade to a student who presents a logical but opposing view, that is a form of fascism and thought control.

How about book banning. (Yes. We still have that.) So, do you truly believe in the right of others to speak their minds? Absolutely! Really? Yes. I’m an American! Then know what that means; live it and defend it.

Doug Kaer

Spokane Valley