Freedom of Speech??

As Americans, we are guaranteed the right to speak our minds without political repercussions.  And, since it is an election year, many are speaking their minds with a vengeance!  Yes, dear fellow Americans, feel free to vent whatever venom you want to expel, but now it is time to understand that there are consequences for that.

Politicians have been falling like flies for things that come out of their mouths.  The death of an American ambassador in the Middle East has been blamed on some Internet post that some hapless citizen posted, because he could.  Boys and girls, the world is a MUCH smaller place than it once was.  You are NOT free to offend the rest of the world unless you have the power to defend what you do...and unless you have the permission of the Federal Government to do it, you are on your own!

This is one of the reasons that amateur radio operators have to pass tests in order to talk all over the world.  There is a responsibility that comes with being leaders of the civilized world.  I you represent the USA, you'd better talk like you represent the USA!!

Some poor redneck of a guy in the Indy area decided to exercise his right to free speech by hanging President Obama in effigy in his yard.  Now, he has had to put his family in hiding due to threats.  What did he expect?  That the world would beat a pathway to his door????

Another person...the mega-Christian owner of Chick-fil-A restaurants...shot his mouth off about how he didn't support gay marriage.  The backlash from that was both negative and positive.  People who never ate at their establishment before ate there to show their support, while gay people--even employees--all over the country, drew back.

Then, too, there is the flack from the candidate for Representative in the state of Indiana who said that he didn't support abortion in the case of rape because it was "a life that God intended to happen".  I am 100% sure that he meant that...felt it from the marrow of his Christian bones...but seems not to know how offensive it sounds to victims of rape and women in general.  He backtracked without apologizing.  Only election day will determine who bought it and who didn't.   

I am a Christian, too, but sometimes I am at a loss to throw in with these people.  We are criticized for being too "politically correct".  Okay...DON'T be polically correct and see how many friends you make!  Speak your mind because you have the right to, but don't come crying to me if other people don't agree with you! 

John Wilkes Booth, who killed President Lincoln, was shocked that he was hunted down like a dog when he THOUGHT he was doing the country a favor by assassinating what HE thought was a tyrant.  Unbridled freedom of speech leads to other assumptions of unbridled freedoms.  Wake up, Americans!  The rest of the world doesn't care squat about our freedoms!  It's time to cut our losses and act like the supposed civilize society that we pretend to be!