5th Generation War, Part 4: Rights, Privileges, and the Fine Art of Leaving Each Other Alone
The hardest rights to defend are usually the rights of people we disagree with. Freedom of speech protects obnoxious opinions. Freedom of religion protects beliefs we may consider ridiculous. Peaceful assembly protects protesters whose signs make our blood pressure rise, and due process protects defendants we may already despise. But liberty is not a license to commit crimes, and every desire, benefit, opportunity, or government service is not automatically a constitutional right. A republic survives when we understand both sides of that equation: I don’t have to agree with you, and I certainly don’t have to like you—but I’ll defend your right to be wrong. Just stay off my lawn.
What exactly are we trying to save?