Speak Freely... ???!!!

So... this morning during my twice-daily-debriefing with my time-traveling contractor boyfriend, our discussion bore witness to the plaintive call to Tuesday evening prayer. Emanating from the mosque on the corner of his block in Kuwait City, it came through a closed window and across Skype quite prominently. ( He jokingly calls it the neighborhood alarm clock ). We listened for a moment, and I imagined Muslims all over the city scrambling for their prayer rugs and facing Mecca, wherever they were, to fulfill that last mandated ritual of the day as the sun set over the Persian Gulf.

Interestingly enough we were in a discussion about a young lady we both love who seems to think she is the mullah of his family, telling people how they can interact, what they are allowed to say -- and to whom -- and consequences of those edicts are not met to her specifications, all the while asserting her First Amendment Right to free speech.

Unless something has gone seriously awry, the First Amendment is not limited to a young lady in Southwestern Arizona, nor does it have a clause for her to make such demands of anyone. However, lest readers think this essay is directed towards this unique and wonderful, albeit confused individual, these incidents are popping up all over the place. 

Legislation was removed from discussion last week about censoring posts on the Internet, which in theory seems like a good idea. It might help keep folks' language to a higher standard, thwart terrorism, and restore decency, but what about that pesky First Amendment? We now have a Director of Progressive Media and Rapid Response in the White House, whose sole job is to scour the Internet for any disparaging articles regarding the White House occupants and staff, and respond to them. Director of Progressive Media. Huh. 

The last few weeks of my personal life have been fraught with these types of ridiculous demands from other people, telling me in word and action what they think I am allowed to say and do. There have been edicts in my own family during my late father's passing to 'not bring up the past anymore', all the while stating their big fat opinion about the past. Huh. Ummm, unless something has shifted in the definition of family, the past is what binds them together, good or bad. So, under a gag order to not ever bring up the past, we now have very very little present or future together, and have been reduced to Facebook-friend-chitchat about daily fluff. If that. See the following.

I have posted twice in as many days my opinion, and twice over those two days have been dropped 

( deleted) and blocked ( unable to see any posts, pics, or other comments ) due to folks taking offense at. my. opinion. Guess the First Amendment belongs to them and Miss Arizona. At least three people are guaranteed that right, just not me. :-P

My sister asked me this morning who had I pissed off, since my daily comments on my page showed a little angst. Angst indeed that my dissemination of facts to family and opinion to friends caused me considerable abuse. I hadn't purposely irritated anyone. Been pretty happily quiet, in fact, until Miss Fuzzy First Amendment and the two hard line Facebook Nazis made me stop and wonder about the state of affairs in this country and how the First Amendment is being used as a weapon.

Our freedom of speech cannot be abused -- nor can it be limited ( at least under current law) -- and there are laws to enforce and defend our freedom. We all fall short of civility at times. I myself have been vitriolic in the past, and have apologized to so many people... to include old boyfriends from high school that I wounded. ( One of them used me in his ministry as an example of how not to be. D'oh!) 

I hope that this country holds together, but between the Director of Progressive Media spreading glittery cover over anything unfavorable about our government, and the antithesis -- people limiting other people from speaking about just about anything, I think we may be heading for a huge shift. And it won't be glittery... just graphic and gritty. Lord Jesus, maybe You could come back for us soon? Any day now???