"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or
of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to
petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
-The First Amendment
I believe that the responsibility of speaking one's mind begins with each individual.
No amount of money-federal or otherwise-can control the use or misuse of the tongue.
People should have the right to speak their minds, even if we do not necessarily agree
with their point of view-be it political or religious, or a social issue-
without being censored, or "cancelled" for it.
Furthermore, I draw the line at calling excessive vulgarity or personal invectives-
so common in our society today-"freedom of speech" when used against certain people
or groups in order to goad them into retaliation or an unnecessary confrontation.
The Left in particular is infamous for this ploy, however, I feel that unless your life
is being physically threatened in some way, a response of silence is often far more
effective when dealing with social and political agitators or online trolls.
"Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits."
Proverbs (18:21)
This timeless adage reminds me of some words of wisdom from Abigail "Dear Abby"
Van Buren who once wrote: "Before you speak your mind, remember to ask yourself,
"Is what I am about to say true? Is it kind?"
President Ronald Reagan was fond of using a Russian proverb which translated,
means, "Trust but verify" in his dealing with the Soviet Union, which is another
good rule of thumb to use when speaking your mind.
These days, however, it seems that truth and the verifying of it rests in the
eye of the beholder. And this not only applies to the "Thought Police" patrolling
many public colleges and universities, where liberal think/speak remains the
order of the day, but the outrageous lies and vindictive gossip reported as
"the truth" which dominates both the traditional and social media, only
later to be casually refuted, but not after significant and often irreparable damage
has been done to the reputation of the victim, or "cancelled" person or group.
Freedom of speech, like freedom of the press, is one of the greatest liberties
granted to all American citizens under the US Constitution and should never
be taken for granted or abused.
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