Letter: Freedom of speech doesn’t justify rise of evil
Saturday in Charlottesville changed my policy on publicly addressing politics. Whether or not it is just screaming into the void, I will add my voice.
Out of town all weekend and unable to read much, I truly thought Monday would see nearly everyone on the same page about the events in Charlottesville. I thought left and right would easily agree that we have openly among us again the same horrible evil that 80 years ago, despite the breadth of the Atlantic Ocean, set 16.1 million determined Americans off to recruiter’s offices, from sea to shining sea.
There is evil in us, in the U.S. So many of us are avoiding the discomfort of acknowledging this is evil by accepting the comforting rationalization of freedom of speech that we have begun actively encouraging its growth. A rally for white supremacy may indeed be an extension of free speech, but that does not change the fact that it is violent, insidious evil.
My friends, please don’t find ways in your mind to justify that demonstration. It might be uncomfortable, but that’s the whole point. Let us become so uncomfortable and disturbed that we change something about ourselves and do something about it.
Paul French, Richland
This story was originally published August 17, 2017 at 1:06 PM with the headline "Letter: Freedom of speech doesn’t justify rise of evil."