All voices must be heard

The ugly trend of shutting down speech we don’t agree with continues in earnest right here in Massachusetts.

The latest victim: Sean Spicer, former communications director for President Trump and author of the new book “The Briefing: Politics, the Press, and the President.”

Spicer was supposed to be in Seekonk today to sign books at the BJ’s Wholesale Club, but he told Boston Herald Radio that the event was canceled.

According to Spicer, BJ’s told him, “Unfortunately, due to the political climate, we’ve had to cancel the event.”

This week a heckler in a bookstore in New York City disrupted another of his appearances, yelling, “Hey, Sean, you’re a real piece of garbage!” before he was removed.

Bad behavior is certainly on display these days, but Spicer differentiates between heckling and suppressing one’s speech.

“We live in a free country and if people want to express themselves then that’s the beauty of the First Amendment and what our country is all about,” Spicer told Herald Radio, “I think the question is when we shut down voices either on the left or on the right and don’t allow people to have that voice, that’s the problem and I think we’re seeing it more and more.”

He is, of course, right.

We must have the ability to have an honest dialogue with one another and let dissenting viewpoints see the light of day.

Banning the exchange of ideas only increases the tension in the political climate. Perhaps if a critic were to meet the president’s former communications director and talk to him, the two could increase understanding of each other’s viewpoints. Maybe someone would learn something new.

Less speech is never the answer. All of our elected leaders should condemn the irrational banning of speech due to intimidation or other means. Liz Warren, Charlie Baker, Maura Healey, where are you?