1/ A thought experiment designed specifically for the eyes of those who don& #39;t quite see the value of the right to protest:

Some of what follows may be obvious.

But given today& #39;s poll suggesting that fewer Americans value the right of protest than before, it& #39;s worth saying.
2/ Imagine that you don& #39;t like the sitting president.
You REALLY don& #39;t like him/her.
You consider this person dangerous.

Wouldn& #39;t you want to show people the danger?

Wouldn& #39;t you want to express your fears?
3/ You might want to organize with others to express your fears & hopes.

Maybe hold a march or a rally.

Get a lot of people together to really make a point.
4/ You& #39;d probably want to be free to say what you think in print.

You& #39;d probably want reporters to investigate those in power & report on what they see.
5/ In these ways & more, you would be trying to shape the political regime in power -- & possibly have an impact on the next one.
6/ You would be expressing your voice -- and your rights -- as an American.

Now -- of course & importantly -- there ARE limits on these rights, and there& #39;s a judiciary to debate these limits.

The limits matter.
A lot.
7/ The limits matter, & the rights matter too.

They are fundamental in a government that grants its people power.

When you surrender the right of protest or freedom of the press, you don& #39;t just surrender them for the moment, or for your opposition alone.
8/ When you surrender the right of protest or freedom of the press, you don& #39;t simply affect your opposition.

You silence everyone.

You strip everyone of their rights.

You shape the future as well as the present, in ways that might be irreversible.
9/ ...& at some point, when you& #39;re angry at those in power, by surrendering the right of protest & a free press NOW, you& #39;ll be silencing yourself THEN.

These rights are rare & valuable.
They deserve to be protected.
And once they& #39;re lost, they& #39;re VERY difficult to recover.
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