US is privileged to speak

Sony’s release of “The Interview” got Americans pondering the chasm between “can” and “should.”

The debate continues this week in the wake of the Paris slayings at Charlie Hebdo, a satirical weekly magazine known for taking shots at virtually everyone, including Islamic extremists. Two gunmen took umbrage at caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed published in a recent issue, slaughtering 12 people in retaliation last Wednesday at the paper’s offices.

The killing spree continued over the next day. A female police officer was fatally shot. Gunman Amedi Coulibaly was killed during a police siege at a kosher grocery store, but not before he killed four hostages Friday.

Almost immediately, social media ignited with posts decrying the attack against Freedom of Speech, a birthright guaranteed to Americans in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Sunday, world leaders united in the streets of Paris to protest what President Francois Hollande described as a “terrorist attack of the most extreme barbarity.” The attack on Charlie Hebdo along with the spate of attacks against journalists covering the most dangerous corners of the world is a reminder of the high price of freedom. After all, not all countries enjoy the freedom to – within reason – speak their mind. To suggest that it’s our freedom to say what we want, like it or not, is rather shortsighted.

Bullies today do not fight back with words. They carry assault weapons and homemade explosive devices. They carry assault weapons and homemade explosive devices. The most extreme among them behead or shoot those who hold differing views.

Thank God we live in a country that values freedom of expression. But the events unfolding in France are a reminder that democracy haters live among us and can heartlessly attack when least expected.