Libertarianism 101: Freedom From Offense

The first amendment to the constitution clearly states that "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech ..." I'm not sure you'd be able to find anyone who has a problem with this ... pretty much everyone wants the ability to speak their mind without fear of retribution from the government.

Over the years this "freedom of speech" has been extended to condone things like flag burning and pornography. I don't have a problem with that. I'm not sure I'd burn our flag ... except to dispose of it properly ... but I can understand how some may want to do this to make a political statement. Likewise, I don't have a problem with people voicing concerns about the direction of any government policy ... and this includes national security during a time of war.

There are two issues with free speech, however, that I do have a problem with.

The first is when people attempt to silence others because they don't agree with their point of view. This most often arises when someone deems what someone else says as being "offensive" or "hate" speech. So and so shouldn't be able to say that or post that because it "offends" me. You hear a lot of this happening on college campuses where the administration has implemented speech codes. I don't recall anything in the constitution that says the government is going to protect your right to not be offended. While I may not agree with what the Ku Klux Klan or the North American Man/Boy Love Association have to say, I certainly don't want to deny them their right to express their opinions. Likewise, I wouldn't want anyone trying to shut me up just because they think I'm an idiot or delusional.

The second is when people who exercise their right of free speech then complain of adverse consequences for what they said. Just because you have the right to say any old stupid thing that comes into your head doesn't mean that, as a consequence, others might not take actions that are detrimental to your well-being. If I run into my boss' office and tell him he's a complete idiot and that I've been sleeping with his wife ... he may just fire me. In Texas, he might shoot first and ask questions later. Now, should I be able to sue him for firing me because he violated my right to free speech? I would hope not. He didn't violate my right to say what I wanted, he decided that there were certain actions that needed to be taken based upon the information I provided to him. So those that whine - and hollywood celebrities are great at this - of the negative impacts that have occurred to them because of silly things they said need to get a clue. If you're livelihood depends upon getting along with certain people, it's best not to piss them off.

So, in order to offend the widest number of people possible I must confess ... I'm a Yankees fan! And boy, do they really suck this year ...