We are guaranteed the right to freedom of religion and freedom of speech. The Bill of Rights acknowledges what the government can not take away: this includes your Bible or your Koran, your M16 or your AK-47 (although, you can't have auto versions of those, courtesy of the National Firearms Act of 1934). This doesn't mean that the government doesn't attempt to take away or restrict these freedoms (did I mention the National Firearms Act of 1934?), it's just that ideally -- Constitutionally -- it isn't supposed to and that any restrictions must be with the "consent of the governed."

Does pastor Terry Jones have a right to burn a Koran (or a flag or a draft card or a bra)? He certainly does. Will burning a Koran incite Muslims to violence? Frankly, no. Oh, Muslims can "use it as an excuse," but it's just one of many excuses, some of which include land, clothing, diet, speech, aka "freedom."

Muslims have been doing violence against other Muslims, Jews, Christians, atheists, animists, and you-name-it-ists centuries before Terry Jones, before 9/11, before Columbus. It's what they do. I'm not talking about the occasional nut job who uses religion to do something dangerous, violent, or stupid. I'm talking about the very foundation of Islam. One toasted Koran, more or less, isn't going to finally make Muslims violent. They crossed that bridge long ago and mostly because Islam is not about freedom.

If Terry Jones is free do burn a Koran, should he? No. It's childish. It draws attention to Terry Jones, not to the Mosque, and not to Christ; and it is not loving (or even "tough loving"). It is not what Christians do. Now, if Terry Jones said, "I'm going to go to Ground Zero and pray every day about this and invite Christians from everywhere to do the same," I'd be all for it.

How about building something? Can't I build whatever I want wherever I want? No and there are a host of reasons why. You cannot build something on someone else's property, of course. You also can't build something on your property that you're not zoned for or that would violate your neighbors ability to enjoy their properties or that would be dangerous. Sounds reasonable and it is.

Thus, you can't build a strip joint right next to a school. It would be a stupid place to build it anyway, and yes, "stupid" is something to consider. Or, to be more gentle, replace "stupid" with "unwise." Pornographic billboards? Abercrombie & Fitch might think it's cool, but porn for marketing is so 1990s, and they wouldn't fly in my neighborhood (and I live in Los Angeles).