By Chip Minemyer
The Tribune-Democrat

Freedom of speech is a strange and wonderful thing.
It allows a jackass to wave a monkey in front of cameras at the War Memorial
Arena in Johnstown and throw racial slurs at a presidential candidate.
And it allows idiots to wear T-shirts bearing the vulgar message "Sarah
Palin is a (C-word)" at a rally for the vice presidential candidate in
Philadelphia.
And freedom of speech ­-- guaranteed in the First Amendment of the U.S.
Constitution --­ is the cornerstone of our society.
We don't have to like what that knucklehead said and did at the War Memorial
on Oct. 11.
Indeed, we can be appalled, feeling his actions made us all look bad.
But he has the right to do what he did.
That's because the First Amendment says:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech,
or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to
petition the government for a redress of grievances."
That's a lot of important stuff that essentially makes us the free people we
are.
We do, at times, cling to our religion and our guns (although that specific
right isn't dealt with until the Second Amendment), because we have a
constitutional entitlement to do so.
The First Amendment means we can worship as we see fit, and practice a
religion of our choice: Judaism, Islam, Christianity or something else.
The language in that amendment means we can say what's on our minds and
print what we want (although our courts have since added the limitations
that what we say and print must be true and non-defamatory).
We can "peaceably assemble," which means 5,000 people can get together at
the arena and listen to Palin and other people speak so long as they do so
non-violently.
And ­ just as importantly ­ we can challenge the government when we think
things are being done improperly, or when we think government is
overstepping its bounds.
A few years ago, I took some heat for writing that individuals had the right
to protest across the street from a soldier's funeral, although their act
was vile and no doubt intruded unnecessarily on the grief of the soldier's
family. I still hold firm to that belief.
Sadly, that soldier died protecting the rights of every American, including
the people who thought it would be appropriate to mar his funeral with their
messages. And one of the key rights that soldier died protecting was the
freedom of speech that we all enjoy.
Sometimes, living in a free society gets complicated. Our sensibilities seem
to smack up against our liberties.
Yes, at times we are forced to be tolerant of those who themselves show
complete intolerance.
But I wouldn't have it any other way.

Chip Minemyer writes for The Tribune-Democrat in Johnstown, Pa.