In a sixth-grade civics lesson on the Bill of Rights, my teacher said that to protect the right to free speech we must protect the freedom of speech of those with whom we disagree. By suppressing an opinion we disagree with, we open the door to having our own opinions being suppressed later.
What makes our country great is that our love of individual freedom leads us to accept that for all to be free we must sometimes disagree. That we disagree is a sign that our freedom works, rather than a sign that my (or your) freedom is under attack.
All of this is why Jon Tevlin's recent column on Little Falls was refreshing ("Ideological foes bound by belief sue Little Falls," May 15). Larry Frost is a type of American hero who often goes unsung, setting aside his political ideology to defend not just Robin Hensel's, but the right for all of us to disagree.
ABBY RAE LACOMBE, MINNEAPOLIS
