Discussion

Here is a concerning reality we need to face. Recent surveys show that one-third of college students now beHanging out this morning and got most of the new website we talked about a couple weeks ago there.lieve violence is sometimes justified to silence speech they disagree with. Not debate. Not persuasion. Violence.

Next year marks America's 250th anniversary. If we hope to see a 300th, we cannot ignore what is happening with younger generations and their growing hostility toward open dialogue and free expression.

This is not about politics. It is about the basic ability to have a conversation without someone storming off, shutting down, or worse.

As Stone Creek Republicans, we have an opportunity and a responsibility. Engage with young Americans whenever you can. Your children. Your grandchildren. Their friends. Not to lecture or debate, but to have civil discussions about ideas, history, and why the principles in our founding documents still matter.

Ask questions. Listen to their concerns. Share your experiences. Explain why free speech protects everyone, including those whose views we find objectionable. Help them understand that disagreement is not violence and that changing minds through persuasion is how free societies function.

This does not require a classroom or a formal setting. It happens at dinner tables, on fishing trips, during car rides, and over coffee. Every conversation is a chance to model what civil discourse looks like.

The future of this republic depends on whether the next generation understands and values the freedoms we inherited. That education starts with us.