I read an article this morning about a doctor in Florida who is so angered by the health-care bill that he put up a sign in his office window that tells patients that if they voted for Obama, they should seek care “elsewhere”.

Reading the comments on the Digg submission (where I first found the article), it’s clear that people (at least on the internet) are outraged. And at first, I was somewhat dismayed at that as well. No, I don’t agree with the health-care bill. And I didn’t vote for Obama, and I certainly won’t vote for him in 2012. But, my opinion of someone wouldn’t change if I discovered they did vote for him.

But, after thinking about it some more, I think it’s crucial that the doctor leaves that sign in his window. He’s upset and should be. The bill is going to have huge (largely negative) affects on his practice and his patients.

You see, there are evidently some who would appear to be gearing up to take the matter to court. But why? Provided he isn’t actually turning anyone away, and isn’t quizzing  them (which he says he is not), then he is will within his rights to free-speech and he shouldn’t be bullied out of using them when he feels it’s right.

I think it’s easy for us to forget all about our rights when we don’t agree with how someone else is using them. Do I like the way Richard Dawkins talks about God? Certainly not. But I feel no impulse whatsoever to silence him. Those are the principles our nation was founded on. And what we don’t often realize is that if we attempt to stifle other people’s rights when we don’t like what they’re doing with them, it won’t be long before our rights are taken away too.

Just sayin’. Sorry for the political rant.