Do you believe in Freedom of Speech?

"There is no more fundamental axiom of American freedom than the familiar statement: In a free country we punish men for crimes they commit but never for the opinions they have." - Harry S. Truman

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Voltaire

I'll ask again. Do you believe in Freedom of Speech, which is protected by the First Ammendment? I do. I believe in my American right to say whatever I feel like saying, given that I don't incite anyone to riot or seek to wrongfully hurt or harm someone. I wouldn't dream of doing that. Probably never will. I've never physically harmed a human or an animal, above the bug species. (Although, I have known a few humans who belonged in the bug category.) Heaven knows I would never incite anyone to riot, since I abhor large crowds and have the whole fear of germs from large crowds of people issue. This comes under the category of Acquired Phobias since it took many years for these fears to fully blossom.

So, we are left with something I don't like to discuss with other people, but I certainly like to talk about it. Our birthright, as citizens, is to be able to say almost anything we feel like saying, within the specified boundaries of the First Ammendment (which is basic human decency). Freedom of speech in this country is one of the most contentious issues to date.

I might disagree with what you're saying, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

Of course, this means that many things we don't support, like Communism and pornography are also freedom of expression and speech. Freedom of religion even has some bad... like the Branch Davidians (nutcakes) and the Fundamentalist Mormon Splinter Polygamists (child molesters). With the good, some bad is always bound to tag along for the ride. But, freedom of speech is one of the many things that make this such a great country and why so many foreigners want to live here. We have many freedoms in this country, but this could quite possibly be the most difficult to define.

Let's examine the case of The Dixie Chicks. I have just loved the Dixie Chicks since they first burst onto the country music scene. When Natalie Maines made her statement in London during a concert, she had absolutely no idea that the media and many of their fans would turn her statement into a feeding frenzy of hate. She was merely exercising her right to express an opinion, albeit rather poorly timed. I thought her statement was simply her personal opinion, but others reacted as if she had agreed with what the terrorists did on 911. But this is America, my friends. Land of The Free and Home of The Brave, right? Wrong, apparently.

However, I still defend that she has the right to say whatever she feels like saying. She didn't hurt George Bush or anyone else. She wasn't inciting anyone to riot against the President or our country, although the way the public reacted was far worse, in my opinion. Radio stations refused to play their music, people publicly burned their posters & CD's, public comments were skirting the boundaries of defamation of character and slander. But, none of those people were chastised for what they did, and it basically ruined the Dixie Chick's career in country music.

It appears to me that the general American public needs a bit of schooling on the First Ammendment. The government has already taken away the right for our children to pray in public school as well as the right to say The Pledge of Allegiance. Are they now going to allow the public to demand that we not listen to certain types of music? This is just ludicrous. I know people that won't even listen to the Dixie Chicks now, even though they used to like them. Sorry people, but I think that is Just Wrong. No, it's just plain ignorant.

I don't see anyone making huge protests over the fundamentalist Mormon polygamists having sex with children, and that whole mess makes me want to throw-up every time I think about it. Why aren't people marching & protesting in the streets over that? It just leads me to believe that most Americans have their priorities out of whack. What is important to us as Americans? I think our priorities have changed over the years and there are a lot of people who haven't quite *caught up*.

This country is in trouble, people. Ignorance and hate still run rampant. The crime rate is still on the rise. Taxes are higher than ever. Government is having their way in more areas of our lives than ever. Like it or not, the First Ammendment reigns in this country, so get over it. We need to pull together rather than continue being so divided. Unfortunately, our society does not promote that. Being a democratic society does have its drawbacks. We let anyone and everyone into our country and then wonder why things have gone so wrong. Worst of all, we believe the campaign promises of politicians. And, our Congress continues to get raises in pay while the rest of the country is losing their jobs or getting cuts in pay. How crazy is that? Duh. I won't even get started on how bailout money is being *utilized*...

Our new administration is now spending more than ever, even though campaign promises were made that said this would not happen. Does anyone else see that there is something wrong with this picture? The bailouts have surpassed the level of insanity and our taxes are higher than ever. I resent having to pay for people who have made irresponsible decisions. Of course, life has never been fair, but this is as ridiculous as it is insane. Why should I live within my means if I have to pay for those who don't? Give me a reasonable answer to that & I'll give you a gold star. Sorry, but that's all I can afford to do at this point. We just paid our taxes.