Protect our First and Second Amendment rights responsibly by obeying the law | Letters

Letter to the Editor
·2 min read
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Considering both the current demonstrations against Israelis and Palestinians alike and our continual domestic gun shootings, I strongly oppose all hateful, bigoted attitudes and behaviors, just as I strongly oppose the possession of assault weapons by anyone other than authorized personnel.

However, I do not oppose either the United States Constitution's First and Second Amendments, respectively, or the U.S. Constitution itself. But the rights of free speech and gun ownership are not unlimited. Both of these rights and other rights come with responsibilities.

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Among those responsibilities: We need to respect and obey federal, state and local laws. We need to pay the federal, state and community taxes which support the services and other benefits we receive and too often take for granted. We need to defend our country if the circumstances should arise.

Indeed, if we adhere to our Constitution's Preamble to "form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty," we need to respect the rights, opinions, beliefs and dignity of others.

Above all, we need to participate in the democratic process of voting and vote to protect our freedom and democracy.

Michael Lindsay, Eau Claire

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Use our right to free speech and gun ownership responsibly