I am having a bit of a day here today at RedState, touching on a number of aspects of one of the most cherished amendments ever made to the United States Constitution and the one that led off the Bill of Rights, which, of course, is the First Amendment. 

As sometimes is ironically noted, when the Bill of Rights was passed immediately after the United States Constitution was ratified, it was no mistake that the First Amendment was about speech, and the Second Amendment was about the ability to keep government from preventing you from being able to speak freely. I have read a number of articles and books about the passage of the first 10 amendments, and while that has been alluded to, I don't recall ever seeing evidence in the affirmative that that's exactly why those two were passed in the way they were.

Rolling into the topic of this article, which is being able to express ideas and thoughts freely in this country no matter how ignorant and repulsive they may be, inevitably, Congressperson Rashida Tlaib's name is going to come up.

Tlaib and controversial statements go together like peanut butter and jelly or mold on cheese. You just can't separate those two — that is the nature of things, and you just need to accept it.

My colleague Sister Toldjah had this take when Tlaib ended her silence AFTER Hamas invaded Israel and threatened reprisal in Gaza: Rashida Tlaib Learns the Hard Way That Her Words and Actions Have Consequences.

But once she did begin speaking out on the attacks, she couldn't stop, and reminded people all over again why she has often been referred to as the leader of the House's "Hamas Caucus," taking a shameful blame-the-victim approach towards Israel and stating that the violence would not end for "as long as our country provides billions in unconditional funding to support the apartheid government."

On Wednesday, Tlaib took it a step further during an unhinged speech, threatening Joe Biden and inciting anti-Israel "protesters" who were steps away from the Capitol to take over parts of the Capitol complex, which led to some 300 arrests, including three for allegedly assaulting police officers. 

After the damage was done, however, Tlaib learned the hard way that her words and actions and those of the terrorist government she supports have consequences.

A Palestinian conference that was scheduled to take place at the end of October in Houston which featured Tlaib and fellow antisemitic activist Linda Sarsour got canceled by the Hilton Hotel that was set to host it:

“Hilton Houston Post Oak by the Galleria serves as a place of public accommodation and does not endorse the positions of third-party groups or organizations. The safety and security of our Team Members and guests is our top priority,” a Hilton Houston Post Oak by the Galleria spokesperson said in a statement to CNN.

“Given escalating security concerns in the current environment, the hotel has determined that it cannot serve as the venue for this event because of the potential risks to our Team Members and guests. Our priority is and will remain the safety and security of everyone we welcome at our hotel,” the statement continued.

Tlaib is well-known for her comments that, one could argue, are a bit over the edge, as I mentioned in this article regarding Scranton Joe's speech to the country on Thursday night, where he made a pitch for more money to Ukraine and Israel.

From Joe Biden Condemns Hate in His Speech to America, but Does Not Condemn Democrat Rashida Tlaib:

Yet for all the happy talk or serious musings that America stands for eliminating hate and other people around the world should take our example, Joe Biden—or quite frankly the person who wrote his speech—conveniently forgot to mention the one person who seems to be a little bit upset lately and has been spewing hate. Not surprisingly, she is a member of his own party.

Rashida Tlaib.

If you don't recall, just days ago the happy-go-lucky congressperson from Michigan said this about the President of the United States, someone who is a member of her own party to boot. 

My colleague Bonchie wrote this: WATCH: Rashida Tlaib Threatens Joe Biden, Accuses Him of Genocide 

From that article...

While that was happening, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) launched into an unhinged rant outside of the building in which she again blamed Israel for the supposed bombing of a hospital in Gaza on Tuesday. Evidence, including video and intelligence intercepts, has since proven that a Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket fell short and struck the hospital's parking lot. Despite claims of 500 dead, it is now believed that a few dozen people perished in the resulting fire. 

Tlaib went radio-silent after spreading the Jewish blood libel and ignored questions from reporters the next morning. 

Does Tlaib say repulsive and ignorant things?

She sure does.

Should she banned or censured for saying them?

Congress can go ahead and censure someone, but what does it do? Nothing.

Banning her for a noncrime and for thinking a certain way is an idea that should go the way of the German Nazi Party of the 30s and join the dodo bird in extinction  

I made a similar argument on my Duke Over America Facebook LIVE SHOW on Friday. 

Don't censor or ban people for thought, but in the case of a politician, come up with a plan and a program to absolutely turn up the heat in their neighborhoods to show the voters who the person is that they elected. Make the argument to those very constituents and get her turned out in a primary possibly.

I was told by a listener that that would never work because of the district that she's in. I countered that that has never been attempted in her district or any district that a Democrat who is left of crazy currently represents. The Republican Party, nationally and definitely here in the state of Michigan, has never even had that thought, let alone attempted to do that.

In the war of ideas, speaking is the easiest part. Putting into action the very principles that you hold and working to show others who don't necessarily believe the same as you to attempt to have an opening and discussion is the extremely hard part. 

This does not mean showing up in an area six months before an election and leaving right after November if you lose.

This means being committed to the program and outreach 24/7, 365 days a year.

Getting people who already live in these communities and giving them the resources to back them up shows that things like Tlaib says are abhorrent and backward.

The easier way to go is to just ban thought. However, I'm much more comfortable with people being relaxed enough to speak and to know where the ones that are off-center are — and to make sure that I know who they are. 

Silencing anyone, whether it is Donald Trump and his court-ordered silence or trying to ban someone as mean as Rashida Tlaib, is not the answer one might think it is. 

The First Amendment, for whatever reason, topped off the Bill of Rights and needs to be protected as the cherished amendment that it is.

No matter what repugnant things are said, let them say it — and then mark it down that people who say such evil and ignorant things exist and make them famous for it.

That is truly the American way.