@Lasma. Sometimes it’s not fun to defend people’s rights. But non-offensive speech seldom needs defending. I take the First Amendment very seriously. I understand that it’s " gobsmacking" to people who don’t really understand how vital this right is to our personal freedoms. Although I am a liberal Democrat, as an attorney I will defend any constitutionally protected speech. I am Jewish with Holocaust survivors in my extended family. But my first work as a teen volunteer was to help those defending the rights of nazis to march in my hometown.
I have called for the application of First Amendment protections to the U of I professor fired for engaging in anti- Israel hate speech. I have worked on cases involving protecting flag burners. I joined with other attorneys in making sure the “black lives matters” protestors could demonstrate without police interference. I would wholeheartedly protect the rights of the students at Mizzou to protest ( though not to try to push journalists from public spaces). I believe the only way to deal with speech one finds offensive is through more speech. I am careful to separate speech that is hurtful/ hateful which must be protected from speech that is threatening or so pervasive AND aggressive and aimed at a specific person that it’s harassing and thus not protected.
I view protecting the First Amendment as a solemn duty. I wish more people understood that the underlying philosophy of true free speech is “I disagree with ( maybe even are repulsed by) what you say but will defend to the death your right to say it.”