Free Your Tongue
This Article was written by the author upon reading the chapter ‘Silencing Political Debate’ in Mark Levin’s Men in Black
Arguably the most important right in America is being trespassed upon by new ‘interpretations’ of the U.S. Constitution. The first amendment, which defends the freedom to speech, is be ignored and even overruled in certain instances.
If an angry protestor decides that he wants to burn an American flag, the symbol of our national sovereignty, he absolutely may. His right is defended by the said amendment. If however a student decides to carry an anti-abortion sign in the vicinity of an abortion clinic, then he is quickly silenced. Students in school freely curse at teachers, but if those teachers ever once lose their temper, their job is at stake.
If the government is to allow freedom of speech in any circumstance, then it must allow freedom in ALL circumstances. The reason the Constitution was written was so that no person could be thrown down by the government for their beliefs. This is however the very thing that is happening. Mentioning God in school can get people fired, expelled, and even killed (Columbine shootings).
Our rights are being trampled upon, and yet we do nothing. We must learn quickly that we have to exercise our rights in order to keep them. Just like a muscle needs to be used to grow, we must use our right to speech in order to retain it.