The Constitutional Abuse of Free Speech
The Constitutional Abuse of Free Speech
Free speech and the abuses that surround it are like wild horses that need to be broken and tamed. The laws that were created to protect free speech were made long ago and in a much different spirit. The days of the American Revolution were filled with political oppression, enforced by British rule. Speaking out against such obvious tyranny meant being crushed under the boot of colonial governors. Free speech was designed to combat these infractions against proper civil liberties. The first amendment provided for free speech to be constructive. In today’s society, free speech is a shield for protecting hatred and conspiracies. The common reply of many of today’s hate mongers is “It’s a free country!” There must be a line that cannot be crossed. When there are no safeguards against such things, we encourage hate to fester within our society and from outside as well.
The results, costs, and consequences of the unchecked reign of free speech are terribly high. Evidence of this comes from the terrible tragedies that took place in New York City and Washington D.C. on September 11th, 2001. Terrorist forces, both domestic and foreign, flood our country with their messages of hate. Klu Klux Klan to Al Qaeda. From America’s heartland to the lands of the Middle East changes must be made. Terrorists, again domestic and foreign, use our internet and public arenas to communicate and proliferate. On any given day there are hundreds of questionable chat rooms at such a website as http://chat.yahoo.com or using a simple program called mIRC. Many of these rooms are created with the expressed purpose of plotting against the United States and its people. Our public facilities must be available for any Klan or other group rally that agrees to be “peaceful.” More often than not, these meetings are not peaceful, as in Columbus and Cleveland this past summer. The fruits of these group’s labor come into season when people die. They do not seek political reform, economic changes, or policy revision; these groups seek blood in the streets and terror in our hearts. The Constitution was created as a flexible document, one that grew with the times. Now, in its rigid and sharp edged ways, it is harming...