On the 4th of April a very opinionated piece was published in that week’s edition of The Vermont Cynic. The piece was titled “Liberal Educators Ruin the Children” and was written by Kyle Hatt. The piece made reference to a teacher from Colorado and his “biased” words during a lecture using this as an example, “President George W. Bush’s most recent State of the Union address sounded ‘a lot like the things Adolf Hitler used to say.'” The article claimed that these opinions are ruining the youth of America. “It is time Americans recognize that the people who are polluting the minds of their sons and daughters with a flawed liberal ideology, which constantly and closely approaches anti-Americanism.” If anyone is approaching anti-Americanism it is you Mr. Hatt. All Americans have the right to the freedom of speech. If my map serves me correctly, Colorado (where this teacher is from), is a part of the United States. The teacher in question is entitled to his opinion. Just because it is an opinion that some may not like, it does not mean that it shouldn’t be expressed. Since I disagree with Mr. Hatt’s opinion on this matter, I am expressing my voice, which I have the right to do. If anything is ruining this country it is the people that are trying to take away basic human rights. The ‘comparison’ of President Bush to Adolf Hitler is hardly one that is being made. Did you read your own piece Mr. Hatt? To say that George W. Bush sounded “a lot like the things Adolf Hitler used to say,” during his State of the Union address is far different than saying the president has the potential of being a mass murderer. The teacher could have been complimenting the president. If you brushed up on your history you may recall that Adolf Hitler was a very gifted orator, even if he did use his gift for evil. The point is his words could be interpreted in a hundred ways. It is the people that misinterpret statements with a conservative lean that are destroying society. “But we shouldn’t be fooled.” No, Mr. Hatt, we shouldn’t be. We shouldn’t be fooled by That teacher , President Bush, or by you. You say that; “students are taught to ‘tolerate’ everything except for the traditional values and beliefs which have been part of America since her birth.” Again, I beg to differ. To be technical, denying women’s suffrage and slavery could also be an American tradition. If no one questioned these values and these beliefs they would still exist today. It is these people that “pollute” our minds that helped instigate change against discrimination. College campuses used to be hot zones for questioning the way things are. Now, students are passive because there are so many people, like you, that are telling them that questioning right and wrong is bad. It is not bad to question the functioning society. “And sadly, many students are unable to separate argument from fact or bias from careful thought. They accept the ideas of men like Mr. Bennish with truly naive and blind faith.” Surprisingly, I disagree. I can separate the ideas from the facts. It seems that you cannot Mr. Hatt, or else you would not have written your piece. Continue to blindly walk through the world. Continue to pretend that everything in America is great. Do whatever it is that helps you sleep at night. I know that I can rest well when I have down everything in my power to make the world a better place for my future children. Taking away the freedom of speech is not one of them. My political views are irrelevant and so are yours. Without this basic human right, we wouldn’t even have the option of displaying our personal opinions. So please, Mr. Hatt, do not infringe on Mr. Bennish’s rights, because if you do, you are only infringing on your own.