We are heading into the Independence Day weekend. The Fourth of July is a holiday that is uniquely American – the pinnacle of our patriotic celebrations. Yet, with the social unrest that has happened lately, the typical flag-waving patriotism of the day has been called into question by some people who see it as an affront to everything that is wrong in our world. To do something as simple as fly your flag is considered a slur to a very vocal group that has seized the headlines by breaking property – both public and private. To disagree with them is very quickly shamed and shouted down. I find this way of thinking dangerous and, ironically, out of step with the very thing they are using as a standard for their viewpoint – the right to free speech.

The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. There were 56 men who signed their names to the document, which was sent to the King of England declaring a severance from Great Britain. As they put it, they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to the cause of a free society. The grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence served as a backdrop for our own Constitution and the Bill of Rights afforded the citizens of the United States. Key among these rights is listed amongst a group of basic rights in the First Amendment - the right to free speech. Free speech has been stepped on by despots time and again in world history. These 56 men and the people they represented knew what it was like to be shouted down when their opinion did not match that of their oppressors. The right to free speech has been challenged time and again. In America – especially on July 4^th – it has been celebrated. Flying the flag is a representation of that freedom.

I may not agree with the viewpoints of those who are causing social unrest in our society, but I will defend their right to vocalize their beliefs. But on the flip side of things, I also will defend the right of those who disagree with the dissenters. They have a right to free speech as well. However, that has been called into question. Anyone who does not side with the dissent is in jeopardy of being labeled a bigot and there is a militant edge to the lengths these people are dealt with. Near my own town, a priest delivering a sermon was publicly shamed for calling militant rioters who are destroying property maggots. It appears he will likely lose his job for vocalizing his observation. It appears that free speech is a one-way street these days. Free speech that disposes of the voice of the other side is not really free speech: it is tyranny. Let me remind you that this is the sort of thing that the world’s most hated dictators did to their nonconformist opposition. That is what I fear is being seeded into the collective thinking of our society.

What should you do about it? For one, fly your flag on the Fourth of July… or don’t if you choose to dissent. But understand that by shouting your beliefs at me does not endear me to your cause nor does it require me to conform to your way of thinking. Next, realize that you have the right to your freedoms as long as it does not endanger others around you. If you want to break out a window and burn down a building, the only property you have the right to destroy is your own. So, break your own windows, but leave your neighbor’s windows alone. Finally, know your rights! Ignorance is the bane of free people. Here is a link to the Bill of Rights as they were presented to a joint session of Congress on September 25, 1789.