To the editor:

In his Oct. 1 letter, David Santee said, “The First Amendment does not shelter someone from all consequences of speech.” I agree with this statement and his letter. In our American culture we are very consumed with our rights. It seems that at times we are so blinded by the thought that our rights might have been violated that we cannot see or feel our sense of responsibility — our responsibility to not abuse or misuse our rights and our responsibility to our neighbors, citizens, students, to encourage, strengthen and assist one another with actions and words articulated with well-thought-out, meaningful content.

Citizens, such as David Guth, with high visibility and a large sphere of influence, may have a higher accountability and responsibility to ensure their words and actions are wisely and thoughtfully chosen. Our speech does reveal character; our speech comes from our thoughts and the intentions of our heart. It can be a struggle to determine the line between our freedoms and our abuse or misuse of them. I would suggest the spewing of vile, unrestrained venom has crossed that line.

Many have spoken of their embarrassment of Kansas. In general the majority of Kansans are on a solid foundation of unchanging absolutes and moral principles. So, it is embarrassing for the state of Kansas to have this wayward child (Lawrence) whose insatiable desire is to ride the ever-changing wave of political correctness and moral relativism. The wise man builds his house upon a rock.