first am

First draft

Free speech is a fundamental value for a democratic society. In the article “ Free Speech: Westboro Church Supreme Court Case Tests First Amendment” from Christian Science Monitor (October 2, 2010), author Warren Richey discusses about the first amendment right and free speech implications in some court cases. The author mentions veriest leaders of large cults that propagate hateful speeches. He acknowledges cases like burning the American flag, a Nazi parade in the Jewish community , hurtful demonstrations against gay rights and tension between religions. I believe U.S. Government should not censor offensive speech because it gives us the freedom to express our views at given time and place, America will not be a truly free society, Firstly, we wanna live in a free society with the freedom to express personal views at any given time and in any given place in America. The first amendment right gives us the freedom to act and the freedom to believe what we are doing is right. We should be able to live in a society where we are challenged to think about topics and ideas, have open debates and access to information. Will Creeley said “We feel there is inherent value in having your most deeply held beliefs tested” (Warren,Oct. 2010). We cannot dismiss a person’s First Amendment rights just because we find his acts offensive. This is often extremely difficult for most of us to understand and accept. The best approach is to educate ourselves in order to create the opportunity to debate and sustain our believes. Should a group of Muslims be allowed to build a mosque on the hollowed ground of ground zero in New York City? Should a liquor store or strip club be approved to be build next to the mosque? Yes,and yes they should be able to freely express their opinions without putting society in physically harm ways. Free speech, free exercise of religion, and free press stays at foundation of this country. Secondly, if we censor speech, America will not be a truly free society. We can not be almost free or half free in expressing our feelings and believes. We can’t let the government to censor a large amount of information by deciding what's offensive or not.. In the case of Frank Collin the appeals court said “If these civil rights are to remain vital for all,they most protect not only those society deems acceptable, but also those whose ideas is quite justifiably rejects and despises” (Warren,Oct. 2010).There is some truth to the argument that a Nazi parade in a community with Holocaust survivals it might be an offensive march. However the law cannot change or intervene in a person’s right to voice their own opinion in public just because these norms do not represent our personal individual beliefs. We have to understand that this believes represent a small minority of individuals who have adopted radical view. America will not be a free society if we agree on censoring people just because their message is hurtful for others.

Finally, Everyone has the given right to be protected from random violence or violent acts which intend to hurt a targeted group of individuals based on race, gender, sexuality, or even religion. Which brings me to Florida preacher Rev. Terry Jones, announced on the internet his intentions to burn a copy of the Quran he incited such acts of violence all over the world.
His announcement incited riots in Afghanistan Pakistan, Kashmir, and Indonesia resulting in 18 deaths total. No his announcement cannot be directly linked to the cause of these deaths, but the outcome of his announcement did cause others to commit violence which resulted in several deaths. I feel this should have been censored because this was a matter of public security in our country. By allowing this act of expression we are promoting to other countries what Radical Islamic terrorist groups already think and feel of the United States. That we hate Islamic beliefs in this country and we don’t condone others who feel the same way. This does not reflect the majority of how we feel in this country but only reflects a minor group of religious extremist. In conclusion free speech is the greatest right that Americans can enjoy, that any free society anywhere should enjoy.

These diverse opinions, are demonstrated through different forms of expression, one form is a public protest or rally to represent their cause or struggle. We often let our own personal feelings dictate what the law should do in extreme or controversial situations which challenge our normality’s within our society or regular standards of conduct our culture has adapted to over the years.