John Edwards is someone I have been following since before he ran for Vice President. I found him as I was channel surfing one day. He caught my eye. Maybe it was that $400 HAIRCUT. All I can say is that whatever he had to say that day he held my interest and has held it ever since.

I understand from the John Edwards website that Ann Coulter, a right winger, made a hateful remark about John on Good Morning America. She said, "If I'm gonna say anything about John Edwards in the future, I'll just wish he had been killed in a terrorist assassination plot." If that wasn't bad enough, she was invited to be on Hardball the next day. Elizabeth, John's wife, called into the show and asked Ann to stop her hateful talk about the Edwards family and all other candidates. Ann became rude and combative. There is a recording on the website, www.johnedwards.com Also there is a blog for public comment. I could not help myself---I had to respond. This is what I wrote:

I have taught people with developmental disabilities about freedom and rights for 30 years and every one of them could tell Ann Coulter what is wrong with her "freedom of speech" defense. A person has no true freedom until he/she knows and understands the responsibilities that go with any particular freedom. Those who fail to live up to the responsibility of a "right" or "freedom" are often denied the freedom. There are many people in prisons that can testify to that. When a person kills another human being in anger, is he not using the freedom of expression? We all have a right to express ourselves, don't we? Yet, our society does not accept that behavior. Words can be just as damaging as a loaded gun pointed at someone's head and the behavior of people who use hateful words should no more be tolerated than the behavior of someone holding a loaded gun to someone's head.
Ann needs to grow-up and be responsible for her actions. Until she does, I hold the media responsible for giving her a platform to air her hateful, irresponsible behavior.