We are going to celebrate Independence Day this weekend. The Declaration of Independence birthed a nation of people that were encouraged, as their God-given right, to think, say, write and express themselves without the tyranny of government interference. Let me address something that really bothers me about the new media. When it first came out, social media was touted as an independent thinkers paradise. You could say what you wanted. It was a new voice for free speech and I am a very big proponent of free speech. Do I get fed up with people who form strong opinions from nothing more than tweets? Yes! I tire of the barrage of negative banter that people volley back and forth like their opinion expressed in a comment section is going to change everyone’s thinking to be like theirs. But this is what free people do: they are welcome to state their opinions whether I agree with it or not. But something has happened on social media in the past year or so that has me concerned. All of the sudden, social media has become a weapon to destroy people who disagree with you. All of the sudden, we have reversed course and the only opinion that matters is the one that is making headlines. All of the sudden, independent thinking against popular opinion is being more than shouted down, it is being exterminated.

This has impacted businesses in a very big way. There is a fear of not conforming to a very vocal minority that will light you up on social media if you do not agree with them. There was a time when businesses would take a pass on most social issues. They understood they had customers on both sides of a hotly contested issue, especially those that raised the ire of those on the left and right. They tried to stay neutral on such issues. That is not tolerated any longer. If you do not state your opinion in favor of the vocal minority, they will tear you and your business down on social media. If you happen to disagree with them, they will try to put you out of business.

Let me give you an example from my home state. When the merits or flaws of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act was being volleyed back and forth, there were those who used social media to try to shut down their opposition by damaging their opponents’ businesses. Even when there was no business strongly speaking up in public forums in favor of RFRA, those who were against it went in search of a business – any business - who would. The most visible was a small pizza shop in northern Indiana. A South Bend TV reporter, trying to make the national news, went from one town to another in search of anyone who would refuse service to a same-sex wedding on religious grounds (which really had nothing to do with RFRA, but it was trumped up on social media that this was the crux of the law.) The reporter finally found someone working in a pizza shop in a one-stoplight town – the daughter of the owner – who said, due to her Christian religious convictions, she would not cater a gay wedding. The TV reporter tweeted what this young lady said and within minutes, the pizza shop was barraged with hateful social media posts. One person threatened to burn the shop to the ground. Others just posted negative comments about the food and service on their Google, Facebook, and Yelp reviews. It is noted that most of these negative reviews came from people who don’t live close to the small town where the pizza shop is located. The police were called in to make sure there was no civil unrest. The pizza shop closed its doors for eight days right after these social media attacks began. The young lady told the Blaze that she and her family were thinking of leaving the state. "I don't know if we will reopen or if we can," stated Crystal O’Connor. That was in April. Since then, the restaurant has reopened, but is still dealing with negative comments and posts to its social media sites.

Let’s make sure we understand what is happening here. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees that citizens have freedom of religion (both from the State establishing a religion or making laws that would prohibit the exercise of one’s religion), of free speech, free press, the right to peaceably assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. It would seem that in the exercise of some people’s free speech rights, the religious freedom of others is trampled.

You have the right to your opinion, even when it disagrees with mine. You certainly have the right to dissent: voice your opposition to laws and the politics of groups that run counter to you. But don’t think that your First Amendment rights gives you the right to threaten everyone into agreeing with you or being put out of business. That is not freedom, that is fascism. And don’t think that creating a social media flood of sympathy for your cause gives you the right to violate the First Amendment rights of others. Before you retweet, like, share, or especially comment on the next inflammatory post, maybe you should ask yourself if you really are thinking like an independent person or just being led by the nose down a path where those who are ignorant of the facts are all being herded. Social media as free speech is a great forum. Social media as a way to shut down people’s livelihood is not free speech, it is the method of despots who demand that all think like they do or perish.