Keeping Our Freedoms Alive

The NATO summit was in Chicago a week ago. With temporary road closings as dignitaries drove through and protesters blocking other streets as they marched by, many people decided to stay out of the city. Some businesses even closed on Monday so their employees wouldn't have to worry about getting to work.

Still, the summit demonstrated this country's greatest strength.

Freedom.

Several thousand people marched through the streets of Chicago protesting everything from the war in Afghanistan to economic conditions here at home, and the protests were mostly nonviolent. A small group of individuals did challenge police on Sunday after most of the marchers had disbursed, and 40 plus people were arrested. Those arrests were for throwing bottles and other objects at the police, not for marching or protesting.

That's because the police were there to protect the protestors' right to free speech, not to quash it. The United States does not ban protests, as many countries do. Instead, our government facilitates peaceful protests.

On Memorial Day, we honor the men and women who died to keep our freedoms alive.

The protesters should thank them for it.

I do.