Free speech is the right to express your opinions out loud, in public or private, in print, by mail, or online. It is essential to democracy, and along with the right to keep and bear arms is the greatest deterrent to tyranny. The United States is unique in protecting a full right of free political speech under the First Amendment.
Leftists are the biggest opponents of free speech, as they demand liberal censorship of views they do not like, especially Christian, patriot, conservative, libertarian, or survivalist-prepper ones. Such views are often demonized in the liberal media with its media bias. Ironically, however, Leftists used free speech to orchestrate the French Revolution by publishing damaging lies against King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, as well as ensure the promotion and domination of destructive ideologies such as Communism and Socialism during the Free Speech Movement of 1964.
Free speech is threatened by hate speech codes which define certain types of statements as hate crimes. While supposedly protecting vulnerable groups (such as "questioning gay teens") from verbal abuse, rules and laws provide no clear distinction between "hurtful" speech and simply expressing one's opinion. Religious people, accordingly, worry that hate crimes legislation in America will be used to stop preachers and others from saying out loud or in print that homosexuality is evil.
Not every form of expression is protected as free speech. For example, statements connected with unlawful conduct are typically illegal.
Examples of Censorship of Free Speech
- a NASCAR driver was suspended indefinitely for what the bigwigs considered to be an "intolerable and insensitive remark" - and they wouldn't say what the remark was! But the driver said his remark was "in no way meant to be disrespectful or insensitive to anyone."