The Right to Eat Where They Want: The free speech debate, cont.

Supporters of Proposition 8 are angry at various acts of protest against the measure's passing, the Daily News reports here.

"Our opponents do not like the outcome and that is to be respected. They fought hard and they feel defeated and that is understandable," said Frank Schubert, co-manager of the Yes on 8 campaign. "What they do not have the right to do, however, is to harass and intimidate people. And they do not have the right to commit acts of domestic terrorism against our supporters."

Sure, mailing white powder to Mormon temples goes too far. But our friends at the Orange County Register also quote Schubert as complaining that "They don't have a right to blacklist and boycott our supporters."

What? Actually they do. That's as much a constitutional right as voting your conscience or expressing your opinion. In fact, that is expressing your opinion. Again, there is a difference between my freedom to express my opinion and someone else's duty to respect it. Are gay activists supposed to be compelled to keep eating at El Coyote?

It would be far better if we could all discuss these issues in a civil and respectful way; instead we've got angry activists doing anthrax hoaxes on one side and, on the other side, Sarah Palin complaining about how media scrutiny violates her 1st amendment right to slander her rivals. Neither side is clean here.

But there's a difference between "what's right" to an ideologue and "what a right is." There is always a right to boycott within our system.