For example, the First Amendment says, “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.”
Freedom of speech is generally interpreted as
freedom of expression. In other words, if a person wants to express himself or
herself in some way other than speaking, the right to do so is protected by the
First Amendment. So, if a person wants to express himself or herself through
art, that’s a protected expression. Likewise, if a person wants to express
himself through actions that are perfectly legal, like remaining seated during
the playing of the National Anthem, that is also protected expression.
Pro football player Colin Kaepernick has taken
a great deal of heat for expressing himself by remaining seated during the
playing of the Star Spangled Banner. In this country, he has the freedom to do
that. Although I disagree with his expression, I’m glad that he, and others
have that freedom. That’s a very fundamental part of the greatness of the
United States of America.
---
I'm Danny Murphy, and I approve of this rant!
A Facebook friend of mine who is a member of
the media in Jacksonville recently wrote that after the election, people whose
favorite candidates were not elected should refrain from ranting. I
wholeheartedly disagree. In addition to being a national tradition, ranting is a
form of expression and is protected by the First Amendment. As is the right to
quote celebrities and to misquote Founding Fathers and various literary
figures.
"I rant, therefore I am." Dennis
Miller.
"The right to rant shall not be infringed
upon." James Madison
"There's only one thing worse than
ranting, and that's not ranting." Oscar Wilde
#ColinKaepernick #MakeAmericaLaughAgain #NationalAnthem
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