Like it or not, freedom of speech cuts both ways

Recently, the owner of a certain chicken franchise expressed his view on gay rights and marriage on a Christian talk radio program. I won’t get into the specifics; they’ve had enough free advertising. The result was a firestorm from pundits, advocates and supporters of both sides with the resulting verbal jousting plastered all over the Internet, TV and radio.

Guess what? I support his right to have his say. Even though I do not agree with his views. Why? That is due to the principle that we call freedom of speech; something I support with all my heart and soul. It’s something every American should support. It is a principle built into the Constitution, and it is a two-edged sword.

Free speech is something we all want, yet in order for it to really work, we must allow ideas and thoughts contrary to many to be voiced. Examples are all over, like when someone burns the U.S. flag in a protest. Even though this act angers me to no end because of what that flag means to me as a veteran, I still respect that person’s right to do so.

Another difficult part of Freedom of speech is that it protects the speech of hate groups like the Neo Nazis, too. I would cheerfully love to see groups like these crawl back under their rocks, never to be heard of again. They have a Constitutionally protected right to peacefully wave their signs, shout “white power” and generally make bigoted, racist fools of themselves. I do not like them at all. Yet, it is their right to be who they are and to give voice to their opinions — no matter how sick to my stomach it makes me feel.

That is the power and the curse of the First Amendment. It is also the entire point. Without this principle and the others that formed the basis of the Constitution, this nation would never have come into existence. It is not just an U.S. right. It is in fact a very human one. Some nations and parties have been slow on the uptake. The hope is that someday soon they will move on to better things.

Freedom of speech does have limits; common-sense ones like one cannot yell “fire” in a crowded theater. That isn’t free speech; it is reckless endangerment. Or, spout one’s views and punch another in the face for feeling differently. That is assault. Another would be setting fire or damaging property during a protest. That is vandalism and turning a protest into a riot.

Keeping the principle alive and well is not easy. It has been tested many times. At times it has failed, but it has been a success even more.

Being able to gather in peaceful protest, being able give voice or opinion via a news article or interview, never to bring harm, hurt or force to bring about one’s viewpoint and to stand up for what one believes freely is the heart of it all. What is good for the goose must apply equally to the gander. Otherwise, we fall under the eternal curse of tyranny. That is something that must never happen.

This man’s view I can never support, in all honesty. I have written about my views on this highly charged, emotional subject in this paper. I stand by those words. I believe in human rights with a passion and these issues are part of that. Yet, as much as I disagree with his take on the subject, I respect his right to say so.

Considering the actions supporters of both sides showed in this ongoing fiasco, the issue of gay rights and same-sex marriage is far from being resolved. Chicken sandwich sales have very little to do with it.

Wasilla resident Daniel D. Grota retired from the U.S. Army after more than 21 years of service.