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I have  strong feelings about the First Amendment.

I know this is going to hack-off a lot of my friends, but I believe that no speech abridging means no speech abridging.  Period.

I am far more aware than most people that unacceptable behavior at a funeral is painfully unacceptable.  I know that hate speech can hurt people.  I know that.  You don’t have to tell me that.

But I am not willing to allow anybody – especially this Supreme Court – define ‘unacceptable.’  If we let them do that, I will have to shuddup by noon today.

I believe that we progressives have to be the ones to stand up for free speech, because we would be the first they would shut down.

I have the right to be wrong, to be rude, to be provocative, to be outrageous, and to be obnoxious.  If I have that right, everyone does.  If am not willing to defend until my death the right of someone to speak words that I  find morally reprehensible and disgusting, then I am not a believer in the foundations of democracy.

I have to be willing to accept the consequences of my speech.  I can get fired.  I can lose friends.  I can get punched in the nose.  But one of those consequences cannot be that my government comes and arrests me and puts me in prison.

Okay, I’ll put the soapbox away and get back to sassy free speech.