People in the United States of America take pride in living in a country .
that is known as the land of liberty. As citizens, we have certain rights as .
individuals. Among these rights is freedom of speech. We usually think of .
speech just as spoken words. But freedom of speech means much more .
than merely allowing people to say what they want whenever they want. It .
means having the freedom to believe what you choose and to openly state .
your beliefs without being thrown in jail. I believe the First Amendment .
means and was intended to give all Americans absolute freedom of speech.
The First Amendment states; " Congress shall make no law restricting .
an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or .
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the rights of the people .
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of .
grievances." Supreme Court Justice Hugo Blacks interpretation of the First .
Amendment is one of the simplest and what I believe to be the most true. .
Hugo Black points out that the amendment says, Congress shall make no .
law abridging freedom of speech. "No law means no law." Any attempt by .
the government to restrict a persons freedom of expression opens the way .
to destroying that freedom for all. For our own protection, the government .
must not be allowed to decide which ideas are acceptable.
In my interview to Alice Crane, a journalist for the Contra Costa .
Times, she brought up some very interesting points. " People such as Larry .
Flynt have fought to save their right to express themselves through .
pornography or other vulgar things that not all people agree with. But .
people express themselves in many different ways, why should one thing be .
heard and not the other. It takes all different types of people to make the .
world go round." The Larry Flynt trial was a great step to getting the First .
Amendment back to its roots and true meaning.
