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I went to an anti-war rally today at Northern Illinois University. While there, I signed up to volunteer for the John Laesch for Congress campaign (IL-14 Congressional district, Dennis Hastert country).

Now, I strongly believe that in order to support the right to free speech, one must also support that same right for those with whom one disagrees most. However, just because I think that one ought to have to right to free speech does not mean that I believe all kinds of speech are always appropriate at all times. It was at the rally that I believe free speech got in the way of a coherent message.

The majority of the rally revolved against protesting both the Bush administration and the US involvement in Iraq. One of the speakers at the rally was an elderly woman representing the Dekalb Interfaith Network for Peace and Justice. They hold weekly protests against the Iraq war at the corner of First Street and Lincoln Highway in Dekalb. Unfortunately, I didn't catch much of the lady's speech since I was filling out paperwork for the Laesch campaign.

After she had finished speaking (and after John Laesch finished speaking), an NIU student decided to speak. He spoke about taking our country back. He spoke about freedom. He spoke about the Project for a New American Century and its ties to the Bush administration and the Iraq war. However, he also said that if need be, we should overthrow our government -- we should have a revolution, and not a peaceful one. That is what I thought was inappropriate. Here we were, advocating for peace, and someone is suggesting we overthrow the government through violent means. It is great that he is able to speak his opinion, but I think it was said at a very inappropriate time and place. As soon as those words flowed from his mouth, I caught a glimpse of the woman who had spoke earlier shaking her head in disappointment. It seemed her message was lost on him.

As I write this, I am still undecided as to whether he should have been invited to speak. I think it is good that the people who held the rally felt comfortable enough to let him take the microphone. However, I wonder if it helps their cause. Does advocating for both peace and violent revolution dilute your message? It isn't unusual for many leftist groups to come together at a rally and advocate for their pet causes, but does it ever achieve anything? How can we speak with one voice and be heard?