Free Speech

I meant to write this thought awhile back, so the topic is a bit dated.
It all started with Imus and his senior moment lack of judgment.
Then the P.C. contagion spread to other radio personalities, and finally to Opie and Anthony being suspended from XM Satellite Radio, yet, were left on "terrestrial" radio.
I'm not going to discuss right and wrong, or even if the disciplinary action was appropriate.

The needle in my throat is the constant application of "Free Speech" to these situations.

Let me start off by saying I enjoy listening to frank dialog; I subscribe to Sirius and listen to just about every minute of Stern, just about every day. It's difficult to explain exactly why, but free speech in Howard's case makes for superior radio. All radio should be so thoughtful, entertaining and yes at times completely salacious. I would like very much to see all FCC restrictions lifted from all broadcast media, and I don't really care if your child hears "fuck" on TV either.

However, the free speech argument is really not properly applied in this case. The First Amendment guarantees our right to free speech, but it does not relive us of the consequences brought about by that speech. Freedom of speech is protected against censorship by the government, and that's it. If the FCC demanded the suspensions/firings, then it would be a different story.

The distinction is fine but important; free speech as an ideal versus free speech as an enumerated right. We've all been told "with freedom comes responsibility" and that rings true here.

What bothers me the most is the complete ignorance of most Americans about the fundamental concepts and workings of the Constitutional Republic. I think Thomas Jefferson was easily on par with Socrates and Einstein. What we were given in 1776 is a truly elegant and powerful paradigm, and it is absolutely criminal that it is largely ignored, or worse twisted through ignorance to fit one's political goals.

Americans need to start understanding what it is to be American.