"Die Gedanken sind frei!" (Thoughts are free... or are they?)

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.

Do these words sound familiar? What do they mean to you?

We do know that freedom of speech has not been interpreted to allow for slander and libel. Fair enough. It should not cause harm to others.

However, there is also another extreme. Freedom of speech does not mean, "You are free to voice your opinion as long as I agree with you." What kind of freedom is that? I have been taught all my life to think and decide for myself. I will not be force-fed what the government or others think I should believe. Nor should anyone else.

I have chosen to boycott businesses or groups for specific reasons. It does not mean I seek to attack them. I quietly boycotted Girl Scout cookies this year after learning some things I didn't like. I know there are many who would disagree with that decision. However, if someone had sought to prevent them from spreading, I would have been up-in-arms with the rest. Not because I support their stance on everything, but because I still believe in the American dream. I will fight for free speech, for a free enterprise system. I will fight for the America I love.

I was not among those who went to Chick-Fil-A yesterday. I hate crowds. I don't typically feel the need to follow the crowd. (I showed my support last Friday, even if it was alone and quietly.) But the attacks on Chick-Fil-A and on those who went out to show their support bother me. Over and over again I see increasing intolerance... in the name of tolerance.

As with freedom of speech, tolerance does not mean, "I will be tolerant as long as I agree with you." However, the two must go hand in hand. Consider this: I can express my disagreement without hating you! And I will listen to your opinions insofar as they are not harmful to me. I do not handle conflict well, and never have, but this does not mean I will not listen to others' opinions. But though I listen, neither tolerance nor free speech mean I have to agree with you, or that you have to agree with me.

I have never had a bad experience at Chick-Fil-A. Their employees are trained to be very courteous. I believe their customer service is far better than most other places'. So what is the problem? A man voiced his opinion. I have never witnessed discrimination on the part of this man or any of the employees of his company. I do not believe he would refuse to hire someone because their views or practices differed from his. That would not be Christian. He simply said he supports the traditional definition of family. Guess what? He exercised two rights there: freedom of religion, and freedom of speech. He did not say he would refuse service to people or avoid hiring them. What he said did not cause anyone harm or infringe on anyone's rights.

My choice to go out of my way to support Chick-Fil-A last week was not in reaction to Dan Cathy's comments. I agree with his stance on marriage and family, but that is by no means the only reason I choose to purchase fast food. My decision to go came after I read about the reactions to his statement. Mayors can ban an owner from expanding into their city because he does not hold the same beliefs they do? That, my friend, is not democracy. That is communism. If allowed, I would expect the speedy downfall of the country I love. My decision to go was to exercise my right to free speech, and to support not only one man's right to free speech, but all Americans' right to free speech.

I hear tell of a possible "kiss-in" at Chick-Fil-A tomorrow. I suppose the intent is to keep people away, to reduce business? Well, I won't be there. But since many are comparing this to the peaceful sit-ins of the '60s... so be it. I won't be there to witness it, but on the same token I won't try to stop it. Let me just say, quite frankly, that I would be just as uncomfortable being there if it were a lot of heterosexual couples holding a kiss-in. PDA is gross, inappropriate, and uncomfortable for many people. It certainly doesn't support families of any kind.

I know I have often voiced my opinion on gay marriage. I cannot support it. But this does not mean that I hate people whose life decisions are different from my own. I know I may be opening myself up to a lot of attacks. I hope that isn't the case. Even if your opinion differs from mine, the foundation upon which this country is built must allow us to agree to disagree on many points. Tolerance must be extended to all, or it is not tolerance.

Mostly I feel a lot of sadness in the decline of values that our country has proudly held up for so many years. Reverse discrimination is still discrimination. Infringing on the freedom of speech of someone not part of a "minority" group is still infringing on freedom of speech. When someone says something we don't like, let us respectfully agree to disagree.