Freedom of expression

I think every country has its fair share of nice people and not so nice people. I hate to think that some geographic region in the world has a higher concentration of either. But, most days I am amazed at what a high concentration of really nice people Montreal has, like this time this guy that I had asked for directions, got off the bus and came looking for me because I got off the wrong stop or this other time when this woman I had asked for directions saw me cringe my gloveless fingers in the cold and took off her own gloves and asked me to wear them till we got to the metro.

But somedays Montreal saddens me like this (this from the #30 bus that I take every day)-



I have known people, from a particular region of the world (that shall remain nameless here), express their angry views about the suppression of free speech in the United States, the suppression as in 'you can not say anything against black people. you know what that does? it makes people stew inside and one day it is going to burst open and it ain't gonna be pretty' they said. In their opinion the solution, to allow hate speech.... hmmm hmmm hmmmm.... If someone has some hateful thought, shouldn't we consider *that* a problem and see how we can erradicate such thoughts? Me thinks, the solution to that problem ain't letting them express themselves... Thank goodness most people in the world think like I do...