A few basic questions to start things off.
- How many people do you personally know who preach radical Islamist beliefs?
- How many people do you personally know who are racist or denigrate other races?
The legal definition for aid and comfort that I googled can be summed up as substantial assistance or the attempt to provide this assistance. This isn't completely well defined legally it seems, and giving statements of support may be legally construed as aid and comfort. Basically, don't do anything that can be construed in the least bit as giving support to terrorists or you can be accused of treason.
For me, the more real threat in the United States that deserves our attention as a society is racism. We have the strongest military, the best intelligence agencies, and a national conversation that has veered towards sacrificing many things in the name of safety. I am not worried about terrorists any more than I am zombies.
I am concerned with racism. As a society, people are the sole defense against racism taking hold. It is not illegal to be a racist. We've made racism in this society something that is seen as a trait that is the lowest of the low. It is akin to being a child molester. The current national dialog threatens to raise it up from these depths and make it something that is more accepted.
We cannot allow racism to become accepted in our society if we want to claim to adhere to the ideals that we have been espousing as a country.
Racists are the enemy. Providing aid and comfort to racists is treason to the cause of combating racism. If you are providing aid and comfort to our enemies, how can you claim to be a proud American supporting this countries ideals?
Don't Tread on Me can be translated to Don't Tread on Others. If you can defend your rights, they should defend their rights as well. I will always insist that everyone has the same rights. Starting from November 8, 2016 I must find the best way I can to actively defend all those rights instead of just believing in them.
I see no other options.