Today I'm going to ask for your opinion on freedom of speech.
Freedom of speech gets invoked a lot for a lot of annoying things. Westboro Baptist "Church" uses it to spread their hate. Stuff like that.
Yet we all know it has limits. You can't print lies about someone, you can't yell "fire" in a crowded theatre, you can't say "bomb" on an airplane...limits.
But how far should those limits go?
I'm asking because recently somewhere not too far from Kansas City, someone in possession of an old rail car painted some slogan on the side of it. I don't remember what exactly it said, but I do remember it called Democrats "parasites".
Okay. He's entitled to his opinion. Does that give him the right to paint a childish insult on the side of something everyone can see?
The article I was reading about it also mentioned that it had been set on fire at least twice. The owner's response, both times, has been to paint his sign again. And we all KNOW arson is a big no-no.
And yet, it's freedom of "speech", in a way. At least, that may well be the defense the arsonist uses, if he's ever caught. And people who agree with the owner, and more to the point, agree he has the right to use his freedom of speech for namecalling, have been quick to point out that the article said nothing about the police looking for the arsonist.
So I guess the question is: does freedom of speech protect our right to hurl insults?
This may well be why I don't like politics. There's a point at which we decide civilized debate and compromise is not enough, and we must result to condescending remarks and shouting and all kinds of behavior unbecoming to adults.
I think freedom of speech should be absolutely protected. And I'll use another example from my own life here...there's a distinct difference between writing the local school board and telling them they don't have the children in mind when they make these decisions and that everyone is going to suffer from their poor choices...and writing the school board and telling them they're all morons and inviting them to jump into the river.
Politics has made it far easier and more appealing to write the second letter.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
On my mind today...
So the day before I left for vacation, a television fell on a four-year-old in my hometown and killed him.
About an hour after arriving at our destination, I found out the four-year-old was the son of one of my friends.
Losing a child...always seems like one of those things that happens to other people. And heaven forbid, if it happens, it's like being stuck in some awful Lifetime movie until it hits you, every so often, that it isn't a movie, it's your life.
His mother donated his organs. He's a hero, just like he wanted to be. But still, I would give a great deal to be there for her tomorrow, to give her a hug and tell her that the best approach is to take things minute by minute, and if you need fifteen minutes to go somewhere and cry, that's fine.
When my son was stillborn, it took a therapist to tell me something that sounds cheesy, but it has new meaning for me. He told me, "It's okay to be okay."
I never understood what that meant until I was faced with something like this. It means that, two weeks later, someone's gonna tell a joke, and you're gonna laugh, and everyone's going to look at you like you're about to crack. Like maybe they think you have already. But you haven't. And nobody should ever feel like it isn't okay to smile, and if it ISN'T okay to smile, then that dumb SOB shouldn't have been trying to make you laugh in the first place.
Just saying.
About an hour after arriving at our destination, I found out the four-year-old was the son of one of my friends.
Losing a child...always seems like one of those things that happens to other people. And heaven forbid, if it happens, it's like being stuck in some awful Lifetime movie until it hits you, every so often, that it isn't a movie, it's your life.
His mother donated his organs. He's a hero, just like he wanted to be. But still, I would give a great deal to be there for her tomorrow, to give her a hug and tell her that the best approach is to take things minute by minute, and if you need fifteen minutes to go somewhere and cry, that's fine.
When my son was stillborn, it took a therapist to tell me something that sounds cheesy, but it has new meaning for me. He told me, "It's okay to be okay."
I never understood what that meant until I was faced with something like this. It means that, two weeks later, someone's gonna tell a joke, and you're gonna laugh, and everyone's going to look at you like you're about to crack. Like maybe they think you have already. But you haven't. And nobody should ever feel like it isn't okay to smile, and if it ISN'T okay to smile, then that dumb SOB shouldn't have been trying to make you laugh in the first place.
Just saying.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
It's hard to believe people get famous doing this.
Even if it's halfway-fame.
Seriously. I'm kind of a nobody right now. Nobody's going to read this, in all likelihood (full of sound and fury, signifying nothing?) because most of the world doesn't know who I am. And I'm cool with that. Nobody really gives a flying rip that I'm a short, hot-tempered, mother of two. They may half listen when I say I make my own cleaning supplies, but only in a "huh, wonder why" sort of way. And yet, there's people out there who get famous for logging on to tell the world their opinion of soccer or the newest movie or something.
It's hard to believe people get famous for blogging.
Seriously. I'm kind of a nobody right now. Nobody's going to read this, in all likelihood (full of sound and fury, signifying nothing?) because most of the world doesn't know who I am. And I'm cool with that. Nobody really gives a flying rip that I'm a short, hot-tempered, mother of two. They may half listen when I say I make my own cleaning supplies, but only in a "huh, wonder why" sort of way. And yet, there's people out there who get famous for logging on to tell the world their opinion of soccer or the newest movie or something.
It's hard to believe people get famous for blogging.
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