"I told the reporter that these so-called "peace protesters" were all incipient assassins. Free speech does not embrace any form of physical force, whether passive or active. A mob blocking the streets is using physical force and is not the same thing as protected free speech. People who are willing to resort to any form of physical force (because they are frustrated by the failure of their words to be effective) have progressed up the rungs of the ladder of violence. As each level of this ladder is climbed, history has shown that progressive degrees of physical violence fail to produce a desired political result, and it becomes easier to take the next step. At the top of this ladder is assassination. Cases in point: JFK, MLK, and RFK."
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Judges from the United StatesLawyers from the United StatesSilver Star Medal recipientsSoldiersPolice officers from the United States
Original Language: English
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p. 229-230.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lynn_Compton
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Lynn Compton
Lynn Davis "Buck" Compton (December 31, 1921 β February 25, 2012) was an American jurist, police officer, and soldier. In his legal career, he served as a prosecutor and California Court of Appeal judge, and is most notable as having been the lead prosecutor in Sirhan Sirhan's trial for the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. Previously, he served with the Los Angeles Police Department. During World War II, he was a commissioned officer with E Company, 2nd Battalion, [[w:50
22 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Lynn Compton β
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