What caught my attention the most this week, was the
controversy over the ad published by the American Freedom Defense Initiative.
The ad reads “In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the
civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad”. I do understand that freedom of speech is
something that should be respected at all times, especially if a country is to
call itself democratic. However, looking
at the unrest in part unleashed by the video that was released last week, I ask
myself if an ideal is truly more important than innocent lives. Though this ad will probably not “cause”
nearly as many problems as the video, regardless of what one’s position might
be on the issue, is this really the best time to post it on public
display? Does the US truly need more
extremist action here to fuel more fundamentalist acts there? I believe not. I do respect and strongly believe in freedom
of speech, but not when it is directed to purposely provoke unrest in places
where the situations is already dangerous as it is. Your rights end when the rights of another
begin, and by posting an ad like this one, the AFDI is screaming fire in a
crowded theater, which is not protected by the first amendment. I can only say that I disrespectfully
disagree with the decision that was taken, and hope that one day, we, as a
nation of so many different cultures and opinions, will respect each other
enough to “stop the hate and start the love”.
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