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Thanks much. It's certainly challenging to offer a forum to other to speak when you/we know they wouldn't return the favor if they were in power. Thanks for reading!

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Thank you for your writing. I especially liked your ending takes:

“… Enlightenment principles. One is to

judge each individual as just that – an

individual – responsible only for his or her

actions, as someone who should be

judged not by race, religion, national

origin and so on, but just on their own

merits.”

This to me goes back to the “Golden Rule.”

And your second:

“And the second principle is a call for free

speech and reasoned discourse. Let’s

not tar and feather anyone but, if

necessary, pick apart and expose the

flawed thinking or actual hate we see in

others and hope that we can convince

the wider audience of where the truth lie/“

Although I wholeheartedly believe in free speech, I do believe that “hate” speech has no place in our world. It goes against everything in your first principle, and causes a great harm to those it is aimed at. It’s so hard to put that “monster” back in a pocket because it develops a “crazy” mind of its own, and people are hurt and/or killed from it (hate speech).

Unfortunately, this is one thing I am now dreading from the recent candidacy announcement of the former president. He just can’t help himself in calling people names and making fun of people. As a former teacher, I could not show him in my classroom due to not knowing what disparaging remarks might come from his mouth.

There is too much of that attitude that has been accepted in our society since his first term in office. It’s not the way I was raised, nor do I want my grandchildren to see that kind of example as acceptable.

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Good piece. I was on the verge of emailing you to get your take on Chapelle from SNL. It’s created a big wave of condemnation/criticism among elite critics, and serious PC liberals, but plenty of people on Twitter have defended it as ‘this is what comedians do — make us uncomfortable and stir comment.’

Any more thoughts on his SNL bit?

Thank you, Abe.

I am sharing your comments with a few friends who were very upset by Dave Chapelle.

Good history here.

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author

Thanks, Ruth, for the comment and your continued support.

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