AMERICANS COME THROUGH – AT 9:43 A.M. ET:   Americans always come through when basic freedoms are involved.  It may take us a bit of time to sort through the issues, but Americans are fiercely protective of their rights. 

In the last week we've been subjected to a boatload of political correctness, and lectured about the need to avoid "offending" (the worst offense of the 60s generation) other "cultures."  Americans aren't buying, as a new Rasmussen poll shows:

Voters overwhelmingly rate protecting freedom of speech as more important than not offending other nations and cultures despite claims that the latest outbreak of anti-American violence in the Middle East is due to an amateur YouTube video that mocks Islam.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 72% of Likely U.S. Voters believe it is more important for the United States to guarantee freedom of speech. Only 15% consider it more important for the United States to make sure that nothing is done to offend other nations and cultures. Thirteen percent (13%) are undecided.

COMMENT:  I'm not happy that 28% are in the latter two categories, but that roughly corresponds to the 30% of Americans who normally take automatically liberal positions. 

My fear is for the future, for college students are regularly pelted with chic nonsense about maintaining a "non-offensive" environment.  On many campuses they're subjected to "speech codes" that bar "hate speech," which is almost always defined by the left.  It's hate speech if it's directed against certain groups, but "robust discussion" when directed against Christians, Jews, Americans and escapees from Castro's Cuba.  I don't know how much of this rubbish actually wears off on students.  I'm hoping it's very little, but we'll have to wait some years to find out.

September 17, 2012