Quote:
Originally posted by Night Stalker:
I understand exactly where you are coming from Chewie. As I said before, it is one thing to accept and tolerate intolerant ideas, and quite another to fight against intolerance once that intolerance manifests into actions or laws that inhibit another's Liberties.
I can tolerate the KKK for example, but they need a smack down once the burning crosses start appearing on people's lawns. 
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A relevant expirience from my past that involves the klan would be the MLK day parades I participated in Denver back in the early 90s. The KKK and some affiliated Nazi skinhead groups would hold a rally at the same time that was directly on the parade route. The first year I joined the small amount of MLK parade marchers and others who gathered around where the klan was having thier little rally and joined in the shouting and rock throwing. I was prepared to do violence on the klan people. It turned out very bad: teargas and police beatiung people with batons, a full fledged riot ensued after the clan had escaped in a county jail bus ( ironicly enough).
Upon reflection I realized that I had violated the spirit of MLK day and that I had behaved no better than those same skinheads who beat me up in an alley a few months before because they incorrectly thought I was of hispanic descent. I realized that to have free speech, that also means that even the most distastful and innappropriately timed display of speech, must be allowed or having free speech was pointless.
The next year, I stayed with the MLK parade the whole way. My spirit had changed, no longer did I feel hate for the klan and their ideaology, but I felt compassion instead. I realized that marching peacefully for equality, desegregation and tolerance was the way to go. By responding to the hateful rhetoric they espoused via bullhorns with peacful march full of song and prayer we countered and challenged the intolerant veiwpoint without resorting to being intolerant ourselves.
[ 04-09-2004, 08:03 PM: Message edited by: Chewbacca ]