Freedom of What?

This article was published in 2005.


“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.”

I want all of you to read that paragraph five times before you continue with
this article. Done? Good. Do you know what it means? What it stands for? Those
45 words are arguably the most important words in our entire system of law. And
apparently, our generation doesn’t care.

In a recent study conducted by the University of Connecticut, it was found that
one in three high school students feels the constitution goes “too far” in the
rights it guarantees. Furthermore, the report stated that over half of the high
school students interviewed felt that newspapers and other media sources should
not be allowed to publish stories without the government’s approval.

I honestly thought I was dreaming. Or had gone insane. I really was hoping for
the latter, because that’s the only thing that could have explained the words I
was reading. What part of free speech are we, as a generation, misunderstanding?
When exactly did “freedom of the press” come up for debate? Did I miss a memo?
The freedom of speech is what allows me to call anyone who believes that the
first amendment goes “too far” a brainless sheep of the government and I like
that freedom very much, thank you. Baaa.

As if I wasn’t noxious enough, it didn’t quite stop there. 75% of students
believed flag burning was illegal, and when informed that it was not, replied
that they thought it should be. Ok, this is where it crosses the line. I am
proud to be an American. I detest anyone who feels it necessary to sink so low
as to burn his or her countries flag. However, I feel it is that persons RIGHT
and FREEDOM to make that choice, as poor as I may feel it is. My opinion and
personal bias does not and should not dictate the freedom of those around me. In
the words of Voltaire, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the
death your right to say it.”

The government has not, does not, and should never have any inkling of an
opportunity to limit and censor the media. The press is there to criticize the
government, to express the feelings of the masses, or expose issues that the
public may be otherwise oblivious to. It’s another check on our government that
keeps them (relatively) in line.

I seem to recall the last time I saw government-controlled media. Everyone
seemed to be happy and nothing was wrong. In fact, they were so happy, that they
spent all their time praising their infallible leader. The problem was,  I
couldn’t really understand what they were saying because the narration was in
German.

The Bill of Rights is the single most important document in our system of law
and its first amendment is the piece that protects everything we hold dear. Our
absurdity can in no way be justified. Hundreds of thousands of noble, brave, and
courageous men and women have died to guarantee us the privilege of having this
right. It is beyond disrespect to shame their sacrifice because of our personal
ignorance and apathy. At the very least stand up and say how you feel, not
everyone gets that chance.