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Much press and television coverage has been given to the pro-Hamas and pro-Palestinian protesters who, in recent days, have chanted, among other things, “Death to America.” Some protesters have burned the American flag, causing no little amount of anger and anguish among many patriotic Americans. Some who were angered and who were interviewed said something like, “Why doesn’t somebody do something?” But “somebody” already has.
On December 15, 1791, almost 223 years ago, the United States Bill of Rights was finally ratified and became the law of the land. Those first ten amendments to the U. S. Constitution were not lengthy. In truth they were incredibly brief, yet those men, who had lived much of their lives as colonists and British subjects with restricted freedoms, felt compelled to set down fundamental rights of the citizens of this new nation.
Among those additions to the Constitution was the First Amendment, which states: 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.
Though brief, the amendment is pregnant with meaning. At least six fundamental rights are named, including “freedom of speech” and freedom “of the press.” What this means is, even though a large percentage of the population may find someone’s speech offensive, erroneous, or even despicable, those who speak have a right to do so. Thus, the pro-Hamas, anti-Israel, and anti-American rhetoric of a few (or the many) is not to be prohibited.
There are many examples of offensive speech that have been given voice in recent years. According to www.cbsnews.com, in 2015, “Protesters in a Black Lives Matter march held outside the Minnesota State Fair over the weekend were captured on video yelling “pigs in a blanket, fry ‘em like bacon…” Needless to say, police were rankled at the offensive remarks, as were millions of Americans, but the speech was protected.
Westboro Baptist Church, an unaffiliated Primitive Baptist Church, in Topeka, Kansas, protested for years, even at the funerals of American military personnel killed in action, with such signs as, “Thank God for Dead Soldiers,” “God Hates Fags,” “Jews Killed Jesus,” “Thank God for IED’s” (that’s “improvised explosive devices that killed and maimed hundreds of soldiers, if not thousands), “God Hates You,” and many other statements including “Thank God for 9/11.” Members of a small church several miles from Newnan, GA similarly protested for years near the shopping centers at Highway 34 and I-85.
Even the Ku Klux Klan, the members of ANTIFA, the American Nazi Party, the Nation of Islam, and other groups with repugnant ideologies, have the right of free speech and all the rights of the first Ten Amendments. And I have the right to call the ideologies of these groups “repugnant.” And others have the right to disagree with and criticize my personal opinions and beliefs. It’s a fundamental right of all American citizens.
Here’s what a few others have said:
“Everyone is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day passes without its being extolled, but some people’s idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone else says anything back, that is an outrage.” — Winston Churchill
“To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker.” — Frederick Douglass
“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” — George Orwell
“I accept that people are going to call me awful things every day, and I will always defend their right to do so.” — Barack Obama
The so-called “Cancel Culture” which seeks to restrict or eliminate “offensive” ideas and speech is not only destructive, but also anti-American and anti-freedom.
In America, there is no constitutional right to not be offended. And there is certainly no right to suppress the speech and ideas of others.
So, while I personally find support of the pro-Hamas terrorists and their slaughter of 1,200 innocents on October 7, 2023, troubling, disturbing, and indicative of warped and despicable thinking, there’s that First Amendment thing.
If free speech foments destructive actions, leads to violence, or causes the disruption of a functioning society. that’s another thing entirely that can and should be addressed by law enforcement. But say or write what you want. It’s the American way.
[David Epps is the Rector of the Cathedral of Christ the King (www.ctk.life). Worship services are on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. and on livestream at www.ctk.life. He is the bishop of the Diocese of the Mid-South (www.midsouthdiocese.life). He may be contacted at [email protected]. He has been a weekly opinion columnist for the The Citizen for over 27 years.]
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