Blogetary (Weblog + Commentary = Blogetary)

Last night during Earth Hour I was sitting quietly in the candlelight and thinking; sipping on a glass of wine and writing in my journal. And I got to thinking about the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In case you don’t recall what that is, here you go:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
— The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

This is where, in the United States anyway, we get our Freedom of Speech. Just because that first battle was won, however, doesn’t mean we’ve accomplished it. There is a constant battle going on in our country for the Freedom of Speech. The McCarthy era was one time when people weren’t allowed to express themselves freely.

When it comes to Freedom of Religion, during WWII, believe it or not, there was a lot of Antisemitism in the United States despite the fact that we were in the war to prevent Hitler from spreading his views and taking over. After WWII it was understood how important this freedom was world wide and the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, among which is included the freedom of religion.

Also included in that sentence is the freedom to peaceably assemble and the freedom to petition the government for redress of grievances.  These are freedoms that we don’t even think about anymore, until there’s a rally where someone gets shot. Because of these freedoms we can write our congressmen, make up petitions about causes we believe in, and have meetings without worrying about whether or not they might be disbanded. My little writer’s group I go to once a month could be considered seditious in some countries.

Why am I harping on this now? Because as basic as these freedoms are, we shouldn’t take them for granted. Because of the Freedom of Speech we are all able to interact in the town square known as the blogosphere and say whatever we want. That is our fundamental right. Other people might not like what you say or write and you may not like what they say or write. Still, it is their right and your right to expression and no amount of bullying will ever change that.  You may believe in the Tooth Fairy and others may not. But that is your very basic fundamental right, just as it is theirs to not believe in the Tooth Fairy.

I’m just writing this because I believe it needs to be said. Too many times, in my opinion (and isn’t it wonderful I am in a country where I can express my opinion), people forget these fundamental rights and either bully others or allow themselves to be bullied into thinking otherwise.

So, speak and write your mind. You might get flak for it, but that’s okay. You can give flak back. This tension between dissenters is part of the basis for our basic rights. If we were in China, you wouldn’t have this right.  So remember, it’s okay to disagree and say you disagree. It’s okay to express your opinions unapologetically and stand up for those opinions and for yourself. Don’t let others badger you or bully you or patronize you into thinking that your opinions are either not allowed or not important enough. It’s still your right. Don’t let anyone take that from you. Ever.