Higher Standards? (+)

Woman kicks a stranger at a restaurant because he is wearing a political shirt. Ho-Hum you say. Well consider this, the man is a student at Fort Lewis College (FLC) in Durango, Colorado and the woman is a professor at the same college. The incident happened off campus. The professor claims she did not know the man, nor that he was a student at the college. The front of the shirt the student was wearing said "FLC College Republicans", the back said "Join us now…or work for us later". After kicking the student in the leg, she stated "I should have kicked you harder and higher." The professor has since apologized (after misdemeanor charges were filed).

So is this what we have been reduced to, an academian resorting to violence because she disagrees with the political views of a college kid. This nation needs to get a grip, it is bad enough attacking protestors at political rallies, but now we assault people for expressing a view.

"College students can do stupid things when they get riled up," FLC College Republican president Richardson said. "You expect professors to be held to a higher standard."

So lets look at four different scenarios and rate them:
Stealing Yard Signs: Widespread campaign sign stealing reported again and again and again. Chalk it up to overzealous supporters. Stealing yard signs is a crime but on the reality scale it rates a YAWN.

Forcibly removing and destroying signs from a protester at political. (All though I believe taunting the opposition is not the brightest idea. Removing your sign by force is unacceptable but it is understandable. Throw rocks at a hornets’ nest and you might get stung). Now this has crossed over to the realm of assault, but you were agitating the mob. This rates a "shields up".

Pointing a couple of tons of steel at a candidate and stepping on the gas and you are now so far off the scale you have entered the assassination zone. Do not pass go. Do not plan on voting in future elections (unless it is an election for the chairman of your cell block). Society cannot tolerate homicidal tendencies, lock'em up.

And last but perhaps the most serious is the knee kicker. Each unprovoked attack means someone else has trampled the Constitution. How can we claim to support freedom when we spit on our neighbor's right to an opinion?

We all need to take a vow –
I WILL DEFEND MY ENEMY’S RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH, (REGARDLESS OF HOW ILLOGICAL HIS/HER IDEA’S ARE IN COMPARISON TO MINE).

And while we are at it, can we get candidiates to firmly and strongly denounce these actions by supporters.