bumper sticker

I read a great bumper sticker yesterday while driving home from the Chicago Air and Water show. To paraphrase it:

"Liberty is having the ability to express unpopular views while being safe doing so."

The exact words or language used not be right but the point is clear. What we have in America is the amazing ability to say what we want about any topic imaginable without fear of a government official taking us away in the middle of the night. In many parts of the world this just isn't the case. Look at Burma, China, and even Russia for examples of this.

Even Iran, which with its many faults has generally had a freedom to express opinions, has cracked down on protesters over the recent elections. So don't take this freedom for granted use it and express yourself. March in a demonstration you feel passionate about, write your Congressman, start a petition, and get others motivated about something.

Empathy is not only dangerous in the fact that you blindly follow what others lay out, but it is also the basis for reducing your rights and stripping from the public the ability to voice dissent.