Choking the ‘Free Speech’ Canary.pdfChoking the ‘Free Speech’ Canary
April 22, 2013
It use to be that in the coal mines of the world, the air was safe if the canary lives and sings. Likewise exercising ‘free speech’ is a delicate art in public even when in a country like the US where the first amendment protects that right unlike almost anywhere else. Many have other agendas, mostly involving money, and find it easy to ignore this great liberty and ‘god given privilege’ that our wars are fought to protect that right for. The first amendment guaranteeing this great right can be ignored, and actually fought against for various trumped up reasons, most of which are covert or blatant censorship.
The biggest threat against free speech is citizens who layback, and don’t let their voices be heard loud enough. Outside of those apathetic citizens, the real culprits are those who are the servants of America who occupy the strongest position to protect our rights, namely the politicians!
Politicians are not just those at the top in Washington DC, but start at the local level with state representatives, county representatives, and more directly, the local city council who seem to be hidden from the limelight of fault in Washington. Corrupt thinking is that which benefits the small minority at the expense of the rights of the majority, and the national ‘Bill of Rights’ including the First Amendment that protects ‘free speech’. How many of these politicians are bought in one way or another by ‘moneyed interests’, and their mealy, sneaky actions to ignore the sanctity of ‘the right thing to do’ from the heart and wisdom?
The ‘local politician’ in thousands of communities around the country often exercises bad judgment that benefits them alone. ‘Sacrifice’ for the rights of citizens should always be the number one priority for all who elect to ‘serve’ the people. That ‘sacrifice’ to do the right thing must not be compromised for the benefit of self, meaning maintaining the position to serve the people.
Over the almost 20 years of doing public written free speech, I have felt the politicians at local levels breathing down my neck while doing so to protect ‘moneyed interests’. Are these ‘sacrificers for the people’ able to see through the persuasiveness of those ‘lobbying’ , or looking out for their money interests with little regard for ignoring the rights of ordinary citizens? Power corrupts even at ‘city hall’, otherwise known as the ‘little white house’. We are now thrust into the unprecedented time of incredible change with religion salesmen and politicians holding on to their authority and ways of the last few centuries where serving the public was a lot more ‘self service’.
Public free speech is a ‘cornerstone’ to the masses being challenged to think beyond what they are fed. Free speech is a challenge to think beyond our programming and complacency that embed people into sheeple who lose controls over their lives, and without them even realizing it! It was not my intent in the beginning years to be the ‘canary in the country (world?) for real protection, and active exercise of free speech rights, but it seems that hidden in plain sight in a little, open minded (?), tourist, artsy town off the Puget Sound waterway and two mountain ranges, I am.
