As we watch Russia attack its neighbor, it's worth remembering that some threats to freedom come from within.

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street with the point.

Scholaren's newest hate crime act is aimed at squashing any speech that critiques transgender ideology.

Offenders face jail time for up to seven years for what's called, quote, stirring up hatred.

It's not exactly clear what stirring up hatred means, of course.

Incredibly, the law not only applies to public spaces, but the conversations held in one's

own home.

Many in Scotland are rightly worried about the chilling effect this law could have on free speech,

let alone how it would violate privacy and enable a police state.

This is in stark contrast to a classical liberal view of liberty,

as John Stuart Mill famously argued, free speech is the only defense against the tyranny of the majority.

Christians also have another reason to care about free speech, loving our neighbor. It means

defending their ability to speak without coercion, especially when those opinions are unpopular.

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street.