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Since When Is Free Speech Fascist?
Dismissing opposing viewpoints instead of productive debate
Tom Cotton’s recent Op-ED in the New York Times sparked a media firestorm. Send in the Troops by the Republican Senator advocates the use of the National Guard to combat the mayhem besieging our cities.
Once the peaceful demonstrations call it a night, the looting and chaos begin. As these mobs target and attack police, their actions resemble an insurgency.
Hundreds of police officers have been assaulted and injured. Others have been shot and some have died. A few have been executed.
Cotton’s choice of words in the Op-Ed seem adversarial. Insinuating the National Guard’s use in a warrior context in lieu of a guardian directive is fascist to some — even in the confines of The Insurrection Act.
It’s not only about what Tom Cotton wrote, but the senator’s right to say it. If one agrees, disagrees, or is angered, isn’t it better to know what our elected officials believe? Is Cotton’s opinion a threat to our safety and democracy or a window into an elected official’s temperament and psyche? Either way, it’s educational.
Tom Cotton is viewed as a rising political star and surrogate to President Trump. If Biden defeats Trump, Cotton could be the heir-apparent to helm the MAGA movement. In a future…
