Page 199 - Beers With Our Founding Fathers

A Patriot’s view of the history and direction of our Country

of the keys to a free person. Literacy empowers with the ability to

have books, learn, be educated is to be part of the process in which
we live. These are important, and the essential basis of freedom. To

restrain speech is to restrain education and communication. To
restrain speech is to restrain any opportunity to debates and

petition the government, of which we are, for redress. In fact, it is
the Freedom of Speech that assures the people that they will always

be their own government. To speak out against the ruling classes,
the government, and the crown – either personally or collectively,

either in a personal critique or general critique – was to speak
against a person ordained by god to be the ruler. Punishable by a

near death sentence or death itself. It was treason, which is one
reason why treason is defined in our Constitution.

Free Speech – it is taken for granted, like the whole of our Bill of
Rights – because we have grown up for generations with it and

could not imagine anything different. For generations our personal
and business communications could pass to one another without

interception, censorship or approval. You can publically support or
protest your government, so long as it does not endanger or

encroach upon others. No one, that I am aware of, wants to ban
free speech. No one wants it limited or regulated. Any attempt to

do so is rightfully met with fierce resistance. When I mention this,
many will say that speech has never hurt or killed anyone.

Harmless, really? How about limitations? Yes, speech has hurt

people – individuals and groups; remember bullying? The harm and
potential harm has resulted in the reasonable limitations – that
which a reasonable person would expect. Historically we have seen

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