Obituary: Free Speech (1791-2016)

Freedom of speech and expression, hallmarks of American democracy, no longer exist in this country. The death of these uniquely American principles went unnoticed by a citizenry more interested in political correctness.  No one mourned during the final rites for these constitutional guarantees.

Death came slowly as the freedoms were usurped over decades by courts, legislatures, universities, schools, art museums, religions, media and ethnic activists. Warnings from freedom advocates were ignored as these institutions and others inflicted mortal wounds by curtailing expression in America.

America's founders enshrined freedom of speech in the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights. These fearless leaders, chafing under the yoke of British censorship, wanted to make it unambiguously clear that freedom of speech would not be abridged in the new democracy.

Congress wasted no time in approving the first ten amendments at its inaugural session in 1789. After ratification by three-fourths of the state legislatures, the amendments officially became part of the U.S. Constitution on December 15, 1791.

In recent years, subversive attacks on the First Amendment have spread like a virus over this great land. Protections of freedom of expression have been eroded by those with an agenda to criminalize speech that does not conform to whatever norm the cultural demagogues deem appropriate.

Some reading this obituary will scoff at the notion of the death of free speech.  These are the very individuals who often are most critical of expressions they consider hurtful, unsympathetic or contrary to their own political, religious and moral belief system.

These folks support free speech, but only if it agrees with their viewpoint.  Here are examples of the calculated, often malicious, encroachment on free expression in America today.

U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has openly campaigned for a law to stifle debate of climate change views held by liberals. The Democratic senator from Rhode Island has called for the jailing of scientists, politicians and citizens who disagree with man-made climate change.

At the University of Michigan, administrators banned "American Sniper" on campus after 300 students protested that the depiction of Navy Seal Chris Kyle promoted bigotry toward Muslims. However, the movie played worldwide without sparking a single incident.

American corporations have been made to tow the progressive cultural line, also.  When the head of Chick-fil-A answered  a reporter's questions about his views on marriage, some city councils refused to allow the restaurant chain to open stores in airports in an effort to stifle his freedom of speech.

The Boston Museum of Fine Arts was accused of "yellow face" cultural insensitivity because it allowed visitors to wear a kimono as part of an interactive art presentation.  After a howl of protests, the museum was forced to kowtow to activists determined to limit free expression.

A high school student in Revere, Massachusetts used social media to tweet that many voters in her city's mayoral election were not legal citizens.  The school reprimanded and eventually removed her from the cheerleader squad for the remainder of the year for airing her views publicly.

These incidents may seem trivial to some. But there are hundreds more like them every day in America. They are eerie reminders of what happened in Nazi Germany. Hitler's propagandists determined what was appropriate speech and what was not.  Soon all freedoms were lost.

Today in America, self-appointed cultural progressives, aggrieved minorities, unelected judges, Democratic legislators, extremist Muslims, Marxist professors and media ideologues have made it their mission to adhere public discourse to their own views and narratives.

This limits vigorous debate and suppresses public disagreement. That is not what the founders intended.  

Free speech means expression unfiltered, often disagreeable, sometimes outrageous, contentious, dishonest and perhaps even racist. Accusations of bigotry, cultural sensitivity or psychological harm are no justification to prohibit free speech.

Any limits on free speech are threats to our democracy and should be rejected.  Too many Americans sheepishly go along with the progressive crowd to validate their own tolerance.  That above all else led to the untimely death of free speech.

Real tolerance, the kind the founders had in mind, gave every American the right to ignore others' harmful, hateful, hurtful speech. That lesson was lost on a generation of crybabies, grievance nitpickers, phony activists and bitter dissidents.

Free Speech.  Rest in Peace.