Civility protects everyone's right to expression

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

By Rep. Hans Dunshee

There is a Norman Rockwell painting I've always admired, depicting a man speaking his mind at a town hall meeting. The people around him look a little disapproving, but they're civil. Respectful.

Rockwell's painting was inspired by a Franklin Roosevelt speech in which he laid out Four Freedoms that were essential to our country.

Freedom of speech was the first.

While town hall meetings may seem outdated in this age of electronic communication, I still have them. This summer I hosted one, and 20 citizens showed up wanting to talk about health care reform. That's about .0002 percent of the voters in my district.

The discussion was civil. Respectful.

On the national level, what's happening at town hall meetings hasn't been civil. It's been bullying, yelling down, and people have been threatened. It's been an attempt to intimidate and turn this important debate into a street brawl. It would be so wrong for intimidation to succeed.

Some people think if they yell, their lawmaker will listen.

And one member of Congress — Republican Joe Wilson of South Carolina — thinks it's OK to shout down the president of the United States during a speech in the House chamber. Even many Republicans found this dangerous to the republic and admonished him. In school we were taught to wait our turn and respect others' right to speak. Apparently Wilson and others forgot this simple lesson.

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090920/OPINION03/709209990/-1/OPINION#Civility.protects.everyones.right.to.expression

[appamado amata padam]

1. Nicely put.

Isn't this what we were supposed to have learned around, uh, first grade?

[izquierdista]

2. All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten

Share everything.

Play fair.

Don't hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Don't take things that aren't yours.

Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Live a balanced life - learn some and think some
and draw and paint and sing and dance and play
and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon.

When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic,
hold hands, and stick together.

Be aware of wonder.
Remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup:
The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody
really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even
the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die.
So do we.

And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books
and the first word you learned - the biggest
word of all - LOOK.




© Robert Fulghum, 1990.
Found in Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten

[appamado amata padam]

3. Thank you -

I was vaguely aware of that writing - nice to be reminded of it. Though a little sad to think that it seems inevitable for us to lose a lot of the wonder and hope as we get older.

[baldguy]

4. And the Republicans want to eliminate the rampant socialism being taught in our public schools.

[truedelphi]

5. And at least by example, replace that civility with

Vigilante-ism. Shoot 'em up, hang 'em high, ask questions later.

Ugh.