Editorial: Free speech can be rough sailing

Yahoo

a day ago

Like the needle on a compass, politics is polarized. But there should be a difference between finding your way in rough seas and surviving our nation's stormy politics.
Bobby LaPin, the owner of a Baltimore-based charter boat company, discovered just how stormy the latter has become. His crime? Simply questioning on social media whether the millions of taxpayer dollars spent on a military parade in Washington, D.C., might be better directed toward more pressing needs like fighting hunger or helping the elderly.
A controversial opinion? Perhaps. The Baltimore Sun Editorial Board expressed similar skepticism about the estimated $45 million cost even before the parade celebrating the U.S. Army's 250th birthday on Saturday, June 14, even began.
But what happened to LaPin, as reported by The Sun's Brendan Nordstrom, sounds akin to a pirate attack. The post drew thousands of reactions, good and bad, but the negative response ended up crashing down hard on his business. There were strangers posting fake negative reviews and, in the worst cases, issuing personal threats like the individual who pledged to burn down his boat.
LaPin, a disabled U.S. Army veteran, has so far weathered the maelstrom. Indeed, his company, Boat Baltimore, has also drawn people rallying to his cause with some hiring him specifically to counter the attacks. We find that heartening. And we trust that people on all sides of the political spectrum will recognize that it's one thing to disagree, it's another to be disagreeable. And attempting to wreck someone's business or intimidate them? That's definitely on the disagreeable side.
Clearly, business owners must understand that mixing politics with your livelihood carries risks and can drive potential customers away. But issuing threats? That's a potential crime.
And there's no justification for it. Not by Republicans, not by Democrats, not by anyone. As we've noted before, this loss of civility is itself a threat to the nation. If we can't debate important issues freely and fairly, what are the chances we can self-govern? How can democracy work if people are afraid to speak out?
So here's to 'Captain Bobby' for finding his way with his honor intact and to those who have already rallied to his side. Given one of the first local attractions one sees on his boat tour is the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, it's no big surprise that it takes more than social media rants (or the British Royal Navy) to sink a determined Baltimorean.
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