This is scary.
In America, you’re supposed to be free to believe anything you want. It doesn’t matter whether you think the world is flat, that Lord Xenu once ruled the Galactic Confederacy, or that One Direction is actually good.
Yet for a lot of people, this freedom doesn’t apply to all thoughts. From Rasmussin Reports (h/t Drudge):
Just over one-in-four Democrats (27%), however, favor prosecuting those who don’t agree with global warming. Only 11% of Republicans and 12% of voters not affiliated with either major party agree.
From the first settlement of the Pilgrims, this country was founded on the Freedom to hold wacky thoughts. We used to cherish crazy ideas like self government, tolerance, and freedom of religion. We also rejected some of the more popular consensus ideas that seduced the intelligentsia of Europe in the middle of the last century, like Nazism, Communism & Fascism.
I don’t care whether you think that Global Warming is a hoax, or that it’s bringing an untimely apocalyptic end to the Earth, everyone is entitled to offer their opinion. In the free marketplace of ideas, the best product is the one people buy. Sure, there are always some people who will scoop up the intellectual equivalent of the Slap Chop, but over time the most compelling arguments usually win out.
Homogeneity of thought isn’t something to which we should aspire, and it certainly doesn’t belong inside our borders. If you disagree with someone, feel free to offer a rebuttal, or maybe a double helping of ridicule. But using the Justice system to correct thoughts you disagree with, is a tactic that belongs in the nations that our ancestors left.