Hates the idea of her son fighting for these idiot's freedom of speech.

Freedom of speech for nice talk is not particularly remarkable. Most of the time, the conventional wisdom and the party line and what the authorities want you to say is what all right-thinking people agree on. And actually right and true and just.

Freedom of speech isn't for that. You can say the nice stuff in the worst dictatorship.

The freedom of speech that counts is always abused. It is the voice that says what most people don't want to hear, what the authorities don't want said. And most people, and the authorities, are right most of the time, so it is usually wrong, and hurtful, and stupid. The WBC is the price of freedom.

I'm shedding no tears for the WBC finding that their particular brand of stupid isn't doing their steel-belted radials any favors. But I'm proud of my son for being out their defending their right to show the world just how wrong they can be.

Those who like to say Freedom Isn't Free mostly think that it is paid for by the blood of brown people in other countries, but the real cost is a bit different. It includes having to put up with idiots.