I am gravely concerned about the infringement on Luis Padilla's free speech for simply having a message on his truck to support marriage on November 7 (reported in the DNR 10-20-2006). If someone had bumper stickers on his or her car for a rock band or view I dislike, should he or she have to remove them because I am offended? Of course not! Should that person be fired. Absolutely not! People are diverse. Because of that, we will not agree on everything, which means we will be offended sometimes. I am offended daily, but I don't attack people's rights because of it. I just express myself and my views. Our society must learn again how to be offended and graciously offend. If we are striving for a society where no one is offended, then we strive either to all be clones or to be a society without freedom. I find the firing of Luis Padilla from Cargill for "insubordination" unacceptable when all he was doing was the same thing anyone does with bumper stickers on his or her car -- free speech.

Follow the message on Luis' truck

Daily News Record