Guest blogger Todd Unctuous is top commentator for MSM. With a degree in Media Studies from Scranton Community College, Todd writes for many papers and websites, and is known for his incisive writing, objective reporting and razor sharp comment.
It has been reported that the “Holy Father” the pope in Rome has started to use Twitter to communicate with the masses. I am a staunch defender of freedom of speech and freedom of religion, but eventually someone, somewhere has to exercise control. In England, for example, a country where free speech was started when King John signed the Emancipation Proclamation at Runnymede in 1066, there are sensible laws which prohibit the publication of material that foments religious or racial hatred. In England you can say what you want as long as it conforms to what society accepts. The majority decides what you can and cannot say.
In England “free speech” means you have the freedom to say what is true and acceptable. You do not have the “freedom” to spread lies, religious bigotry and racial hatred. It is about time in this country that we start to refine what we mean by “freedom of speech”. Should a person be free to spread religious hatred, stir up racial prejudice and publish hate speech? I, for one, would like to see new legislation to control such outrages.
I am sure that our courageous president Mr Barack Obama will soon take action. We need an executive order from the White House which will put in place regulations that govern what we mean by “free speech”. As Mr Steven Spielburg has shown in his recent film on Abraham Lincoln, sometimes for the sake of what is right a courageous leader will have to go above the law. President Obama is just such a man. He does not get bogged down in petty rules and regulations, but is able to see the big picture and use executive orders to bring about real hope and change.
What is “freedom of speech?” Most people now understand “freedom of speech” to refer to speech that encourages and allows freedom of all kinds. In other words, “freedom of speech” means “freedom speech.” Those who speak up in favor of freedom for homosexuals and transgendered people and all racial minorities and immigrants and other inferior people like women, should be allowed to say what they want. Those, like the Pope of Rome (who wears red Pravda slippers and was once a Nazi) who are promoting hate speech should be banned. It’s time to take action against the haters.
I am not myself a religious man, but I respect those who have a strong religious faith. Take Islam for example. Some time ago I was speaking with an Inman (who is like a Muslim rabbi) after he officiated at an Episcopalian christening service. This Inman who I believe was named Ali Baba, said that Islamic leaders would never use Twitter to communicate messages of religious hatred and homophobia to millions. He explained that Islamic people do not force their women to wear blankets over their head, but that the women themselves choose to dress like that. Because it is their choice it is their form of women’s liberation. He explained that, in their religion, they castrate homosexuals. This sounds harsh, but when he explained that they do this surgically and after the operation the men never have a problem with homosexuality again I could see his point. I had never seen it like that, and I now understand that Islam is truly the religion of tolerance and peace.
The Twittering old man in Rome, however, would have it a different way. He would like to impose his women-hating religion on all people. Which brings me to another subject. Along with freedom of speech we enjoy freedom of worship in this country. This means people may do what they like in their churches and no one will interfere. However, we also believe in the seperation of church and state. As history shows, this principle was established by the English King Henry VIII when he broke with the Roman Catholic Church and established his own state religion. To this day the established religion in England is the cornerstone of the doctrine of seperation of church and state. Which we have in this country.
Seperation of church and state means that the Pope should have his Twitter account blocked. Why should an old German man in Rome interfere with politics in the United States? As I have said, I am not against religion. It has it’s place. I also admire those who have a strong religious faith like the actor Tom Cruise, the entrepreneur Ophrah Winfrey, Joel Osteen and the First Lady of the United States, Michael Obama.
Our freedom’s are what made America great, but freedom is not the same thing as liberty. Only as we define and defend our freedoms from those who would abuse them will we be truly free!
Todd Unctuous is forty-two.
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