Reply #32: On the contrary - [View All]

[NutmegYankee]

Your neighbors have a right to not have your dogs on their property, one of the rights of landholders being to control access to their property. You have the responsibility as do they for theirs to control your animals, and both of the parties could enforce that through civil courts. No violence needed.

Fear of punishment does keep society in line, but we pass laws that are forced to meet certain standards to do just that. If gay marriage is legalized where you live, like it is in my state (Connecticut), gay couples know they can get married legally without fearing violent acts upon themselves because someone doesn't like what they did. Law enforces this. If a man gets upset and hurts them, it isn't their fault. The man violated multiple laws and chose terror as a manner to enforce his views on the hypothetical couple.

Our laws enforce freedom of speech. This pastor, while an ugly character all around, merely engaged in symbolic speech and burned his own property ( having purchased his own book). This does not incite violence to rational people.

If he can't practice his speech without fear of violence, then he really isn't free. It's no different than if a gay couple couldn't marry because they would be injured or killed in violence. The net result is they don't have the right after all.

I stand behind freedom.