California Free Speech Demonstrators Destroy September 11th Memorial On Private Land Police who witnessed the vandalism say it isn't actually vandalism unless the owner complains ... otherwise they are simply exercising their free speech the same as people who built the memorial. La Habra fence owner Jeff Collison, apparently having just emerged from the twilight zone and not realizing he was in California, disagrees. "Their free speech stops at destruction of private property. If they are allowed to come on my property and burn flags, does that mean I can go to City Hall or the police station and light their flags on fire because that is freedom of speech? To me, this is vandalism," Collison said. Les Howard, a sociology professor at Whittier College, said the incident might be an indication of some confusion among people trying to stop a possible war against Iraq but uncertain how to express their sentiments. However, he said he does not condone the destruction of symbols important to those who erect them. What he was saying, in a polite way, is that most of the anti-war demonstrators are really, really stupid. Not knowing the difference between a September 11th memorial and the war on Iraq is proof of that. Article Here