With increased politicization of virtually every topic, with growing hyper-partisanship, with now super-sized ideological positions ranging across Left-Liberal-Moderate-Conservative-Right, and the polarization these trends have caused, it seems now almost impossible to hold a discussion, much less a debate, about any social-political issue. People meltdown quickly into opposing camps that look upon the other as not simply different but wrong...and a threat. So now, the answer to differing point of views is not more debate upon the merits of the viewpoints in a free and open setting but silencing. Even the hallowed status of the First Amendment of the US Constitution for whom men and women gave the last full measure to protect is now considered suspect if not rejected. Thus, discussion is virtually D.O.A. This is not good for freedom or a constitutional republic.