SoS Kerry: "Americans have the right to be stupid"
(snip)
"The reason is, that's freedom, freedom of speech. In America you have a right to be stupid - if you want to be," he said, prompting laughter. "And you have a right to be disconnected to somebody else if you want to be.
"And we tolerate it. We somehow make it through that. Now, I think that's a virtue. I think that's something worth fighting for," he added. "The important thing is to have the tolerance to say, you know, you can have a different point of view."
I truly wish people would choose not to be stupid.
= new reply since forum marked as read
...to fix that. 
But in all seriousness, when you have people holding public office saying such stupid and outrageous things, hearing Mr. Kerry say that makes me a little sad.
Sometimes I don't WANT to have to tolerate the things some elected officials say. Yesterday, for example, I Was watching the local news here in DC, and this is a direct quote from John Boehner:
I don;t usually have a problem with 'Uh's', I'm not into being a language police, but the same thing without the 'Uh's' is this:
If SOS Kerry is right, why are people badmouthing him in LBN? 
If anyone else said the same thing, people would go bananas. Sometimes he gets treated as if he is a GOPer and not a Dem. JAO.
Do agree that education and dialogue is the key.
edit to add "the same thing"
Wow...
I posted this here because the story was from this morning. Haven't been to LBN. I peruse there when I get up in the AM. I don;t see anything wrong with what he said.
I see it as a sad inditement of our national political discourse -- specifically the GOP's discourse. That's me, posting on a website that is called Democratic underground. 
And yes, as pointed out up-thread, education is terribly important. It's why certain cable channels should be free-marketed out of existence. *couch* Fox *cough*
Last edited Tue Feb 26, 2013, 06:32 PM - Edit history (1)
The thread is a mess.
If this coming from anyone else, it would be fine and dandy, but since our SOS said it, it has hit a raw nerve. Like you and others, didn't find anything wrong with what he said. It needs to be out there.
The second comment was how me feels about everything from the confirmation hearings to the Hubris documentary. It is just a mess.
You are all good. Agree with what you have said here.
