John Stuart Mill, an English philosopher believed that freedom and democracy were ensured only by allowing for the open expression and ideas of everyone. He bristled against tyranny, even the tyranny of the majority, and said that anyone who only knows one side of an issue, knows even little of that.

Thisweek is National Sunshine week, a time to focus on the importance of freedom, open government and the opportunity for an informed and empowered public. Like Mill, we believe even the power of the majority, which is so much a part of how we live here in America, can sometimes be limiting to freedom.

That is why maintaining an open government where the public has a right to information, and an obligation as a citizen to be informed, should be promoted and celebrated.

Tolerance of everyone's ideas and opinions, regardless of whether they are right, insightful and helpful, or wrong, ridiculous and offensive, is the only way we can, as a society, uphold the dignity and rights of every individual and maintain real freedom.

Happy Sunshine Week.