Ban Trump from Philly?
That idea should be unthinkable in the city where freedom was minted
I almost hate to dignify the fascistic elements of the American Left with commentary, but what I am about to write connects with efforts to shut down political rallies in America.
It is wrong. It is stupid. It is un-American.
Gagging your opponent has previously happened in Hitler's Germany, Peron's Argentina, Lenin's Russia, Chavez's Venezuela and elsewhere.
It is wrong. The Founding Fathers enshrined free speech in the Constitution not just to limit government, but to protect the marketplace of ideas. These men were products of the Age of Enlightenment.
There is a petition on change.org to ban Donald Trump from coming to Philadelphia, citing his "racism and hate," plus the usual (accurate) anti-Trump litany. https://www.change.org/p/mayor-of-philadelphia-pennsylvania-governor-hillary-clinton-barack-obama-city-of-philadelphia-pennsylvania-state-senate-pennsylvania-state-house-ban-donald-trump-from-coming-to-philadelphia
A piece in PhillyVoice cites the efforts of radical Ed Feldman to get Mayor Kenney and Councilwoman Cindy Bass to ban Trump from having rallies as a "public safety" concern. http://www.phillyvoice.com/milton-street-trump-will-rally-philadelphia-dec/
The safety issue is just a red herring.
Mayoral spokesman Mike Dunn said, ""It's difficult to comment on hypotheticals, but we would have serious first amendment concerns about banning a Republican rally."
Hallelujah. I'd say insurmountable concerns. I can hear the ACLU revving its engines.
Candidate John Kasich is having a rally at Villanova Wednesday. Would it be right for Trumpsters or Sandersinistas to break up that rally?
No. It would be wrong.
It's a cliché by now, but the remedy for bad speech is more speech.
For ideas to clash in the marketplace they must be heard, even when you don't like them, especially when you don't like them. The attempt to "ban" Trump, coming from supposedly sane people who believe in democracy, is worse than many of Trump's ideas
Trying to gag the opposition is wrong, it is stupid, it is un-American.