Civil Society

One important characteristic of democratic society is civility, the ability to express our ideas and hear those of others without being subject to or threatening intimidation. Non democratic and often illegal incidents always occur around elections and should be condemned.

An accelerant was poured around Governor Sarah Palin's church and then ignited. If done by an individual, it is an ugly criminal act. If done by a group, it is reminiscent of the KKK or Nazi brownshirts both notorious for attacking churches.

The philosophy contained in the sentence, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" (The quote is often attributed to Voltaire but first written by Hall.)should be the rule in free lands.

My readers should know that they can politely disagree with anything that I write. Frequently, these comments are the most fun and enlightening, introducing other arguments. For example, see the comment 7 by M to my post, $650 Million Did Not Buy Obama The Election!

Also making the rounds today is an interchange between John McCormick of the Chicago Tribune and President Elect Obama. I thought that both the question and the response were good.