Speaking Freely
I have been watching the Trent Lott “Apology Tour” with some interest. I have nothing against apologizing for something, but seldom does increasing the number of apologies improve the likelihood of being forgiven. There will be those that will forgive and there will be those that wont forgive, but multiple apologies rarely increases the number of the forgiving.
When Lott suggested that we “wouldn’t have had all these problems over all these years,” if Strom Thurmond would have been elected President instead of Harry Truman, there were many that took his words personally, and perhaps rightly so. Considering that Thurmond was strongly against Truman’s policies of desegrating the armed services and banning racial discrimination in the civil service, it is easy to understand why there are so many people upset with Lott’s suggestion.
Obviously, Thurmond was wrong then and Lott is wrong now. The nation as a whole is better for these policies, and we as a people are stronger because of them. But despite my disagreement with Lott’s suggestion, I strongly feel he has a right to voice his opinion. In an age where technology and media allows us to have access to many speeches and soundbites throughout the day, it is rare that someone wont say something disagreeable which may be viewed as offensive by one group or another. But in a time when many of our most sacred rights appear to be in jeopardy, the right of free speech is a treasure that we must hold dear and protect for everyone.
There are those that have suggested that Lott should step down from the Senate because of his remarks. There are those that have politicized the issue, with the talking heads drawing their opinions from their political association. But far greater than a Senator’s opinion on a historical event is the right of free speech. If one political party wants to crucify Lott, or another wants to dump him to save face, let it be because of the content of his actions and record, not because of his words or the number of apologies he offers.