By Ada Fisher

When actress Debra Messing sought to find a list of President Donald Trump’s supporters, boycott their businesses or exclude them from certain activities by the Hollywood elite because she didn’t like their politics, she was wrong. And in a rant, Whoopi Goldberg rightly pointed that out.

The willingness to shut one’s mind to the rights of others to free speech, freedom of religious expression and freedom of association is so anti-Constitution and in opposition to the concept of democracy.

It’s funny how the Hollywood echelon of political correctness and their minions have forgotten how Sen. Joe McCarthy tried to use a communism smear on their profession from the late 1940s through the mid-1950s with the same type of brush, ruining many movie careers.

When Spike Lee tweeted out the mistaken address of George Zimmerman, whose “stand your ground” and concealed-carry actions resulted in the death of Trayvon Martin, he may have subjected that person and his family to threats of real harm or other danger. Then there are confrontations in public places, such as restaurants, attacking former Trump press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Those were also wrong and cowardly.

The reason there are courts is to prevent vigilante justice without due process.

By the same token, it is appalling that deliverers of services are questionably sanctioned in their ability to pick and choose who they will serve.

A nurse given the right to choose which procedures he or she will assist with or a baker refusing to bake a cake for a gay couple is a fine “conscious right” as long as they aren’t or didn’t receive any federal funds for their education, are not the only ones in an area providing that service or don’t take government funds in the operation of their business.

Public facilities should not be allowed such discriminatory behavior. This would also allow all selective dues-paying male or female private clubs and organizations not allowing just anyone to join certain leeway if they can stand such scrutiny.

Being asked to see the child of a member of the Ku Klux Klan who didn’t want me to touch the child was quite a challenge. It was also a challenge when the child asked if I could apply to be his girlfriend since he didn’t have one.

The boy innocently told me he wouldn’t mind, but his mother, who was standing by his side as I touched his head, told him she would kill him if he married a black person. Only she didn’t say “black person.”

Some professions and situations should not allow self-righteousness or political correctness to prevail over life-changing events. What, then, would prevent a Jewish doctor from treating a Christian or Muslim?

You don’t need to identify with or like someone or be someone’s friend to be fair.

You don’t have to like the people you serve or work with to give good customer service.

But you do have to remember that “there but by the grace of God go I.”

Salisbury’s Ada Fisher is a teacher, retired physician, former school board member and current N.C. Republican national committeewoman.