I was once asked what, if anything, I would change about this country. The person who asked this question received a clear, concise view on 500 different topics. Needless to say, this dim-witted individual learned never to ask me that question again. However, one topic recurrently came to my mind during the many hours that I spent railing my pop-drunken ideas upon that poor fool, and that was the state of expression in this country. Not the type that freaky teens undergo to convince themselves that they "Belong", or how an artist might smear elephant dung upon a cut and pasted porn magazine clipping and call it art. No, this is the freedom to think that I speak of, and the rapid loss of this right scares me.
It used to be that a person could express his viewpoint in front of his friends or family, without receiving a lecture upon the mechanics of how and why he was getting slapped with a lawsuit. I remember spending many long hours talking it up in many places of social gathering, listening confidently to those who agreed with me, and totally destroying the opposition to my ideas with a semblance of tact and grace. Those late night arguments shaped who I was, and how I believe. Those times were a utopia.
However, there is an insidious plot that is occurring in this once-great nation. It is so deep-seated that it threatens to take away the same sarcastic joy that I felt when I learned to destroy arguments that made absolutely no sense and rid the nation of one more uninformed bastard. This plot in invading schools, workplaces, homes, and even public streets! I speak of the one fear of any person who has yet to become a government breast-fed corpsicle. The loss of free speech.
It comes as no surprise to anyone who has a shred of (dare I say the buzzword) self esteem. It disgusts me how many Gay and Lesbian activist groups (you know who you are) attempt to defend their position through lawyers and supreme court rulings. Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against these people telling me what they consider to be right. Its just when I see people get this "Feminine Empowerment and Liberation" crap without any reasonable explanation, I feel inclined to ask what the person is smoking, and why they can't give me a straight (no pun intended) answer. Suddenly, any person that asks why becomes an enemy, a Bible-thumping, bigot machine that seeks to take away every freedom they ever 'won' by trying to counter their argument. Guess what follows next? A lawsuit. As well as another amendment that no-one cares about going up for vote, to the tune of "Any person that opens their mouth against us shall be subjected to 500 cold towel lashings,loose family, friends, a job, etc., and be forced to watch 24 hour constant streaming videos on 'sensitivity'." This is bullshit. I mean, what happened to the ability to argue with a person in a bar without being sued. Please tell me, if you could Mr. Judge, what the founding fathers meant when they said...
"Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech."
These days, that line interprets to...
"Congress can make any law...that restricts people from speaking out against any irrational idea a minority may come up with."
Come on! Why can't a guy in a pool hall tell off a black person because of his Malcom-Xish views, or a straight guy ask a gay man if he has ever noticed how genitals on a male and female fit. I don't even have to mention some people's view on the Militant Feminist Movement. It seems as though every time one of the above topics comes up, another lawyer pockets a cool 2 million.
Has our nation so degraded that we can't be who we are? Even if 'we' speak out against irrational minority views? Or other views, for that matter. How about religious views? Or personal views? Please! Living in a nation where a five year old black child can get his parents to sue the family next door for calling him something 'racist' is like living in a machine of forced views where anything logical is immediately tossed out the door. Will we still allow ourselves to be bullied around because big brother doesn't like to be told that a gay might interfere with military discipline and moral? How long will free-thinking individuals stay silent?
In closing, I encourage everyone to say what you want. This country was founded upon an ideal of freedom, not repression, equality, not favoritism. Even though the nation may be headed for ruin, I say, have fun! Enjoy the limited freedoms we have, until they are utterly wiped out in the name of progress. Patriotism comes in many forms. Not allowing one's self to be repressed by a corrupt system is one type...