Is Free Speech Killing You?

Is Free Speech Killing You?John Stossel just recently released his new book called No They Can't! Why Government Cannot Provide! What this book has done is created a huge uproar of outrage throughout the country that seems to have grown like wild fire.But before I begin I must say that the above said John Stossel essay is a great example of how we need to put the American way of life into perspective when it comes to our freedom of speech. The fact of the matter is that anyone who is telling us what we can and cannot do in regards to what we say is acting as our conscience. And as such, any freedom given to people who live within a democratic society such as the United States is a right or a privilege.One must not forget the fact that free speech is provided for a reason. Free speech is given as a right and a privilege by the United States government to ensure that the citizens of the country can freely come together and communicate their opinions.Now I am not saying that no one shou ld be allowed to say anything they want, as long as they don't hurt anyone. They can speak their mind about any issue, although I believe that politics are one issue where too much free speech can actually hurt a person's well being. And if someone is hurting people because of their free speech, then it is justified to restrict the person.A good example of why it is important to restrict free speech would be if a politician was comparing two different religions to Hitler and Stalin, and that person's speech should be shut down. In other words free speech is given to each and every citizen and while it is used to express different types of opinions, it should never be used to express someone's feelings or views that they have developed for whatever reason.Another example would be if someone writes a Stossel Style essay for the purpose of exposing some hypocrisy in a politician. While that is their right to do so and if they were allowed to do so, then the media and the public outcry would result in a person being prosecuted for slander.I must also say that there are very few politicians out there that would be speaking about all topics, but if someone writes a Stossel Style essay for the purpose of exposing hypocrisy, then that would be a crime. Even though these views are controversial, they still deserve to be exposed for what they are.Unfortunately, in today's world with all of the confusion of political correctness, it is difficult to be able to speak freely without offending someone. In the end I feel that the true freedom is found in living a life that allows you to express your ideas freely without being intimidated by others. And this is what it is all about, our freedom of speech.