Recent events address this issue well, I think. The
pastor in Florida who recently wished to burn the Quran on 9/11 was as controversial as
they come, and about as unpopular, but he had a first amendment right to express his
feelings in that way, and the Courts over time have been very staunch defenders of the
minority's right to practice free expression. In my own state, the courts ordered that
a white supremacist rally not only be allowed to take place, but that it be guarded by
state troopers to ensure it could happen without
incident.
Why this is important for our democracy is that
these minorities, political, ethnic or religious, are protected by free expression,
otherwise they would be continually subject to the will of the majority, and their
rights could be easily taken away. Democracy, the way ours is set up, guarantees legal
rights and equality to all citizens, regardless of background or creed. While that
doesn't always happen, 1st Amendment free expression helps us come
close.
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