Fiction masquerades as free speech in SLO County

Has free-speech extremism become the new norm of public discourse in San Luis Obispo County?

At the Jan. 12 Board of Supervisors meeting, a local resident viciously and falsely accused me of threatening to “cut his head off” while comparing me to ISIS terrorists. He also claimed that I have a “gay relationship” with a local developer, and that I’m being used by public figures to discredit residents who speak at public comment. Chairwoman Lynn Compton irresponsibly allowed his fictional grievances to be aired without interruption or warning.

This individual’s comments illustrate extremism we’ve seen nationwide. On the far-right end of the political spectrum, there’s a Republican presidential front-runner who’s running an unabashedly negative campaign. Supporters consider his extremism a form of bringing truth to power, and a righteous exercise of free speech despite establishment politics and political correctness. To everyone else, it’s an improvised collection of lies that undermine American values.

In SLO County, there is a groundswell of anger that goes beyond disagreement in places that used to host the free exchange of ideas. In many instances, there are no ideas — only hate. Those who dare address hate are perceived as existential threats to free speech itself by the extremists who abuse it the most.

Free speech shouldn’t come at the expense of reason and good governance.

I call on leaders to protect the integrity of free speech instead of encouraging the worst of it.

This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 8:46 PM with the headline "Fiction masquerades as free speech in SLO County."