Alyssa Neu: Free speech has limits – Boulder Daily Camera

I am a Boulder native. I have never been so outraged to call Boulder County my home as I was when I read O'Connor's recent disgusting excuse for free speech when he incited violence by calling for the elimination of "fracking and workers," even by exploding local oil wells. The editor admitted it was an error to print the attack on oil and gas workers but then pretends that it is somehow allowable civil disobedience law breaking to advance a greater moral issue. But the First Amendment freedom of speech has its limits and O'Connor crosses this line with his "opinion." He also wrongly misinformed the public about the science of oil and drilling. Park your car if you don't like oil and gas, and stop consuming petroleum based products (note everything in your home is petroleum based unless it is organic). Invest in greener solutions. But many of the oil and gas workers are military veterans and have families, too. I'd like to see O'Connor say this to their faces, but gone are the days of resorting to vigilante stupidity. Boulder, we owe more to our current events, newspaper editing and civility toward one another. Sometimes celebrating diversity means engaging in intellectual discourse, not inciting violence against fellow human beings. Boulder should be a peaceful place to live filled with people who may disagree, but who always make it physically safe for all who come here, for work or otherwise. Safety in our community is important regardless of how you feel about mining. Remember, O'Connor, many of those oil workers fought for your freedom to have opinions.

Alyssa Neu

Longmont

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Alyssa Neu: Free speech has limits - Boulder Daily Camera