To Be or Not to Be

Vice President Mike Pence spoke at Rice University April 5th; here is part of his speech:

“We’re living in a time in this country of growing support for socialism and a growing intolerance for diverse viewpoints, including on many college campuses across America. Speech codes, safe zones, and intolerance against people whose faith and economic philosophy are no longer considered fashionable are on the rise.

And so, as we reflect on the cause of freedom in this hemisphere, let me close with a word to the rising generation — those of you who feel drawn to the siren song of socialism: Be careful what you wish for.

Socialism is not the road to freedom. Socialism is the road to government control. And it grows in the soil of censorship. . . But once you say that some people should not be heard, once you say some should not be able to think or speak or believe in a certain way in the public square, you have left the road to freedom and you’re on the road to serfdom. . .

The essence of freedom, enshrined in our founding documents and enshrined in the heart of the American people, is the freedom to disagree, the freedom to air one’s opinions without fear or intimidation…

And so I say to this rising generation: The moment America becomes a socialist country is the moment America ceases to be America.”

I’ve said this before:  American colleges and universities — at least the public ones — are no longer institutions of higher education, but rather indoctrination and training grounds for political activists.  Gary Bauer of American Values said ” Over time, the fringe ideas that dominate our college campuses have spread and gained footholds in the “mainstream media,” in corporate America, in our major law firms, in many state legislatures and even in the halls of Congress.”

What it comes down to for our young people is this:

Are they going to be FREE Americans living in the United States, or at they going to be common citizens of North America, living under complete government control, with no say about anything that effects their daily lives?

To be Free or not to be Free.  THAT is the question.