"The Dove World's religiously intolerant book-burning stunt should remind us that constitutional principles protecting their right to protest also protect everyone's right to protest — including the Gainesville community's right to protest Dove World's intolerance.But defending the right of everyone to advance their point of view by whatever nonviolent methods they choose does not mean we should refrain from condemning the objectives of the protest. Bigotry should be condemned for what it is."
The media has been focusing on the either-or again, trying to convince us that we have a black-and-white choice when responding to this type of situation: we can either embrace free speech OR condemn hate speech. The ACLU has it right: we can do both. But let's not focus on the free speech acts of the bigots, interviewing this pastor, putting his name a profile on every major news source and turning him into a racist celebrity over night. Let's focus on the free speech acts of the champions of love and equality, like the local activist who just emailed me telling of hisdecision to donate three new Korans to the Raleigh mosque and encouraging me to do the same.
Fear has long been a tactic of anti-equality, anti-democratic people and groups. Race and religion are the easiest targets of that fear. Our media and our communities have got to stand up to it, but not just in a reactionary way that calls more attention to the haters than the lovers. We have to stand up not just TO injustice when it happens, but FOR justice all the time. That's when the true intent of the Constitution, that all are created equal AND have freedom of religion AND have freedom of speech, will come out.
