Free Speech

As a parent and educator, this speech resonated with me, as I see my children and students struggling with this ideology. Someone disagrees them, and they think it is bullying. Someone doesn't ask them to play or participate, and that is why they are having a bad day.

There are two parts of Brooks' speech that I think are really important. First, he says that we have to choose how we react to others - and I want to add whether it is actions or speech, we choose how we react. That is really hard, for adults and kids. Second, he says that we can not be friends with someone but be friendly to them. I have seen too many times in the media or on the playground, where if someone disagrees with someone - their lifestyle, their religion, their background, etc., - that person in their enemy, or that person is bullying because they disagree. I think it is very important to know that you can disagree with someone, even on a fundamental value, and still be friends.

Finally, the last part of Brooks' speech that I think we as a nation need to listen to is the part about everyone being able to speak their mind. In the last year or so, a number of campuses have made it impossible for speakers to go to their campus UNLESS they were talking about points that those students agreed with. That is not free speech, and as Mr. Gibbs pointed out, this is not how to end hate speech.

My favorite summer activity

I was very busy this summer. I did not have a lot of time to play, but we did manage to get away for a couple of family reunions. My family goes to a lake and my brother has a boat. We spend time swimming, fishing, tubing, skiing, and surfing. I personally like to surf behind a boat more than ski or tube at this point in my life. The best part was just sitting around and reminiscing with my siblings and cousins, talking about what we used to do as kids, and catching each other up on what we have done in the last year. It may not sound exciting, but it was relaxing and fun.