Is Free Speech Dead In Our Country?

First Amendment - Religion and Expression. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Freedom of speech is one of the founding principles of our country. It s the right to communicate one's opinions and ideas without fear of  retaliation or censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used. Freedom of speech is not to be hindered simply because one does not like what is being said. However in our present society that is exactly what is happening. Our most basic right to express ourselves is being slowly eroded by over zealous individuals who have an aversion to the truth.

In the past members of the Klan held rallies in cities and towns all over the country. At these events the [Klan] proclaimed the superiority of the white race in front of God and country and no one batted an eye. Why? Because as Americans they had a civil right to speak their beliefs aloud. It did not matter if what they had to say was offensive to others or certain races of people didn't like what they had to say. In today's society one can hardly say a phrase in any direction without being crucified in the court of public opinion. It won't be long before our spoken opinions will no longer be the truth. The supreme court has weighed in on this subject by claiming "free speech is not absolute." The Supreme Court uses the example of the man who yells fire in a crowded theater to incite a panic to say all speech is not protected by the constitution. However when you read the First Amendment of the Constitution it does not state that some speech is protected. It states that ALL speech is protected. Furthermore it states that Congress shall make no law abridging free speech. Yet here we are discussing just how much freedom we have to say what we want. Personally I disagree with the Supreme Court on this subject. All speech is protected by the Constitution. As such, we as adults, have a responsibility to correctly
disseminate the information we receive from others. To use the Supreme Court's example, if a man yells fire in a crowded theater, we as individuals should determine whether or not that information is correct. Meaning before you trample several people getting out of the theater you might want take sure it is actually on fire first. To bring my point closer to home, just because I wrote a blog about a particularly sensitive subject doesn't mean those that didn't like what I had to say get to silence my right to free speech by falsely accusing me of being threatening, and twisting my words out of context. Being an American citizen I have the constitutionally protected right to voice my views as I see fit. Just as any other American does. The fact that one can be vilified for expressing his or her own thoughts and opinions sets a dangerous precident. When we start to allow the infringement of one of our rights we risk losing all of our rights.