Otherwise Alienating

Someday, I’ll properly alienate all my classmates
(Greg Haverkamp, Otherwise Occupied)

Some us apparently believe in freedom of speech and its concomitants, while others merely believe in it until a politically correct topic is adversely impacted by that right.

…

But that is hardly the point, anyway. This is about the freedom of expression. And while I can only gather that you believe only in freedom of expression for those expressing views you feel are “right,” I’m having difficulty understanding why you think the SBAWVC should be forced to express a view that it’s okay to be openly homosexual and Irish. Neither you nor I nor the Supreme Court should tell people what they must believe. People have the rights to be bigots in this country, and they have and must have the rights to express whatever bigotry they so choose.

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Or, you can take away the more meaningful idea that freedom of expression is critical, that parades are inherently expressive activities, and that groups that organize parades, whether their views are popular or not, should have the right to determine was messages their expressive activity will send.

I love reading this sort of thing from Greg. In this case I agree with Greg completely, but in more general terms I like listening to debates about Constitutional law and the such. I find it all intensely interesting. Enought that occationally I find myself thinking that law school would be a hell of a lot of fun.

And then I remember that I have the memory capacity of a walnut, and if I can’t derive what I am supposed to remember from first principles I am hopeless, so if I had to remember case references and specifics of laws and procedures without having them right in front of me, I’d be done for. And then I also remember that I get incredibly frustrated when looking at precident that I think was stupid, but is now completely entrenched. (Like most Supreme Court decisions since the Civil War… OK, exaggerating just a tad.. but…) And of course I also remember that I have absolutely no interest in actually bieng a lawyer. I just like some of the debates… and more to the point, some of the underling political and ethical philosophy issues which underlie and inform some of those debates. Fun stuff.