Readers write

ajc.com

Credit: pskinner@ajc.com

Credit: pskinner@ajc.com

Free speech includes the right to say dumb things

I wish the Florida GOP wouldn’t borrow from the Left’s playbook and seek to “cancel” Disney for supporting the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Yes, it’s sad to see another U.S. company cave to the woke mob. Does a majority really support telling a kindergarten boy he might be attracted to other boys or, in fact, even be a girl? It’s natural to want to punish that kind of speech. However, the right to free speech means people are free to say really stupid things. In the long run, these things sort themselves out.

Dems say requiring an ID to vote is “Jim Crow on steroids!” Major League Baseball caves and moves the All-Star Game from Atlanta. The baseball gods intervene, and the Braves win the World Series. The Left shouts, “Defund the police!” Crime runs rampant in Atlanta, and now the mayor of Atlanta is desperate to hire more police.

The midterms are sure to cleanse our system of the excesses of the Left. But, for the sake of free speech in America, let’s hope the Republicans don’t start to behave the same way.

PAUL MILLER, ALPHARETTA

Informed voters don’t let political ads sway their opinions

We have again reached the political cycle where campaign ads on our television screens and elsewhere run on what seems like a never-ending loop.

Even in these polarized times, we should all agree that these ads are, in fact, annoying and tiresome. However, if our political system will ever get better, we as citizens have certain responsibilities we must uphold. Imagine if all of us worked on developing such a sophisticated grasp of the intricate issues facing our world that 30-second political ads, replete with their simplistic slogans and photogenic images, were powerless to ever affect how we vote (no matter how often they ran).

Indeed, the immortal words of John Lennon seem most appropriate here --”You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”

SANJAY LAL, STOCKBRIDGE