#1

Be you conservative or liberal, Democrat or Republican, male, female . . . . No matter your race, religion or sexual preferences - you should applaud this.

One of the greatest blessings of living in America is our First Amendment, which protects the right of all of us to speak out without facing government persecution. People in other countries, even strong Western democracies, are not as fortunate.

Be vigilant; no matter how offensive, better to have concepts open and discussed than hidden.

In America, there are efforts, particularly on college campuses, to silence voices of dissent through the imposition of punishments for stirring bad feelings. But most citizens still seem to understand the Founders’ wisdom in crafting the First Amendment: A vigorous exchange of ideas helps us solve problems, and protects other freedoms. Without a First Amendment, government officials would move quickly to silence the spread of information they found inconvenient or threatening to their power.