Why is it that so many Americans do not understand or
appreciate the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees
several rights, including the right to free speech, which some credit as the guardian
of all our freedoms.
The Amendment says, in part: “Congress shall make no law …
abridging the freedom of speech.” Notice it does not specify “approved speech,”
or “popular speech,” or “speech that doesn’t send people to their “safe spaces.”
It is, in fact, a guarantee that protects speech in general, including, and
perhaps primarily, unpopular speech, which was an important part of its design.
Our nation’s Founders clearly understood the importance of
protecting speech, which many on the modern Left in America clearly do not.
Herewith some examples of higher thinking than we currently
see from free speech enemies.
“Freedom of speech is a principal pillar of a free
government; when this support is taken away, the constitution of a free society
is dissolved, and tyranny is erected on its ruins. Republics and limited
monarchies derive their strength and vigor from a popular examination into the
action of the magistrates.” -- Benjamin Franklin, in the Pennsylvania Gazette
in 1737.
George Washington said, “[T]he freedom of Speech may be
taken away, and, dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep, to the Slaughter.”
And Mr. Franklin, again, in the New-England Courant, 1722:
“[I]n those wretched countries where a man cannot call his tongue his own, he
can scarce call anything else his own. Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a
nation, must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.”
There is an interesting paradox about free speech. On the
one hand, the news media insist that their speech is and must be protected,
despite numerous instances of inaccurate, careless and sometimes even blatantly
false reporting. On the other, the PC crowd wants to silence things it doesn’t
like, which they try to do by labeling it hateful, racist, Nazi-ish, etc.; or opposing
conservative public speakers, or resorting to intimidation, and even violence,
sometimes.
A recent example of the latter approach occurred not long
ago when a 16 year-old boy was sitting in a Whataburger restaurant and wearing
a “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) hat. A 30 year-old anti-Trumper stole the
hat from his head and threw a soft drink in his face. Following his arrest the
thug said seeing the hat had the same effect on him that a Ku Klux Klan hood
would have had.
Upon learning of this criminal act, the thug’s employer promptly
relieved the assaulter of his duties. We must hope he was appropriately charged
with assault, and is fined and/or jailed, or perhaps sentenced to training in
how to behave like an adult in America.
Unsurprisingly, two people appearing in the “neutral and
objective news media” thought this assault was perfectly okay. TMZ’s Van Lathan
said he was perfectly happy with anyone wearing the trademark piece of
Trump paraphernalia being physically assaulted. “Wish I could take the high
road,” he responded to a video of the assault. “But your MAGA hat reads like a
swastika to me. So ummm … hmmm. Yeah. Maybe I’m no longer a decent person.”
Well, at least he recognizes his failure as a decent human
being. But another media figure, CNN contributor Mark Lamont Hill, in response
to the assault, Tweeted: “I actually don’t advocate throwing drinks on people.
Not at all. But yes, i [sic] think MAGA hats (deliberately) reflect a movement
that conjures racism, homophobia, xenophobia, etc. So yes, it’s a little harder
to feel sympathy when someone gets Coca Cola thrown on him.”
Hill, allegedly a Temple University professor (of
intolerance and Gestapo tactics?) must have learned intolerance from the owners
of the Red Hen restaurant. Or perhaps they once were his students.
The political left, increasingly enraged by its failure to
persuade millions of patriotic Americans to the Left’s very narrow view of
things, has abandoned all efforts toward persuasion and open-mindedness, and now
has signed on to using force to get their ideas accepted.
Intimidation and violence are now seen as appropriate
weapons in their efforts to force their views on those who still believe in
freedom of thought and speech.
Many of those who once called themselves tolerant and caring
made a U-turn, and have ordained themselves as “right,” and everyone with
different ideas as “wrong.” And if you don’t agree, you better watch your back.
But where free speech and independence of ideas are
concerned, the Right is right and the Left is wrong. And those on the Left
would be strongly against their own tactics if the roles were reversed.
Adults are supposed to know how to behave when presented with
contrary ideas; to debate and overcome ideas they dislike with words, facts,
and reason rather than violence, censorship, or government suppression. And
children should learn that at home and in school. It’s called being a responsible,
open-minded and tolerant American.
Unless the violent, intolerant wing of the political left abandons
these strong-arm tactics to get their ideas accepted, more violence will result,
and that is a sad prospect for our future.
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