SEATTLE RED

Judge by conduct, not headgear

Jan 25, 2019, 3:17 PM

Guy Jones, left, and a supporter of President Donald Trump named Don join hands during a gathering ...

Guy Jones, left, and a supporter of President Donald Trump named Don join hands during a gathering of Native American supporters in front of the Catholic Diocese of Covington in Covington, Ky., Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. Jones organized Tuesday's gathering. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)

(AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)

To paraphrase Dr. King: “Judge others by the content of their character, not by the color of their …. MAGA caps.” Unfortunately, a group of pro-life Kentucky school boys drew savage media criticism based on their pro-Trump headgear, not their personal conduct.

The video record shows that in the face of taunts and insults, the teenagers showed admirable restraint and dignity. Internet and journalistic commentators should have learned a crucial lesson: if someone holds opinions that differ from yours, that alone doesn’t make him or her a bad person.

The kids from Covington Catholic, the “Native Elder” and Indian activists who beat drums and chanted at them, even the “Black Israelites” who hurled insults instead of rocks or bombs, all showed that vigorous expressions of First Amendment rights need not produce a meaningless melee.

Not a bad day for our badly divided country!

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Judge by conduct, not headgear