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As much as I admire Europe, there is one thing about Europe that I find distasteful, and that is their use of hate laws. Remember the whole flap about the Pope forgiving this priest who had some peculiar ideas? Then it turned nasty, because the man did not believe that so many Jews died in WWII. In the US the man would have gone on Jerry Springer and then he would have faded into nothing, but in Europe, they put out a warrant for his arrest. You see denying the Holocaust is a crime in Europe. You can't say ANYTHING about the Holocaust or you will be imprisoned.
I believe that one of the things that makes this country great is free speech. You may not agree with what someone says, but you agree that he has a right to say it. I may not agree with Christians witnessing to homosexuals on a gay pride parade, but I agree that they have a right to do it. I may not enjoy having someone trying to hand me a Bible as I come out of Safeway, but I agree that he has the right to do so. I may not want to see a skinhead parade, but I agree that they have that right.
As much as we want to shut up our opponents, it is better that we allow them to speak. Sometimes they have great criticisms that we need to hear. We already have laws on the books that ban violence, assault, and murder. That's all we need. If someone murders someone, throw them in jail.
