I can't imagine mankind doing anything but yearning for freedom. The idea of surrendering your liberty to a government - no matter how benevolent - just seems foreign and wrong to me. I always thought it was the natural order of things for man to fight the imposition of tyranny. It seems I was wrong. As Reagan said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."

It is a tragic and scary to see people willingly give up their freedom, especially when you understand all the sacrifices made and blood spilled to earn those freedoms.

Below is only one poll, and I don't want to make too much of it. Still, I don't think anyone has trouble believing it is not far from accurate. The left has succeeded in hijacking the education system, entertainment and culture. They have turned out a new generation of Americans that are not proud of America and doesn't understand our founding or what we as a nation stand for and represent. A large and growing segment of the population is coming to believe that liberty is dangerous and centralized government is the answer. I fear where it all leads.


Link to Article


Poll: Majority of Americans Want First Amendment Rewritten
51 percent of Millennials want fines or jail time for 'hate speech'

A majority of Americans believe the First Amendment should be rewritten and are willing to crack down on free speech, as well as the press, according to a new poll.

More than 60 percent of Americans agree on restricting speech in some way, while a slim majority, 51 percent, want to see the First Amendment rewritten to "reflect the cultural norms of today." The Campaign for Free Speech, which conducted the survey, said the results "indicate free speech is under more threat than previously believed."

"The findings are frankly extraordinary," executive director Bob Lystad told the Washington Free Beacon. "Our free speech rights and our free press rights have evolved well over 200 years, and people now seem to be rethinking them."

Of the 1,004 respondents, young people were the most likely to support curbing free expression and punishing those who engage in "hate speech." Nearly 60 percent of Millennials—respondents between the ages of 21 and 38—agreed that the Constitution "goes too far in allowing hate speech in modern America" and should be rewritten, compared to 48 percent of Gen Xers and 47 percent of Baby Boomers. A majority of Millennials also supported laws that would make "hate speech" a crime—of those supporters, 54 percent said violators should face jail time.

American hostility to the First Amendment did not stop at speech. Many would also like to see a crackdown on the free press. Nearly 60 percent of respondents agreed that the "government should be able to take action against newspapers and TV stations that publish content that is biased, inflammatory, or false." Of those respondents, 46 percent supported possible jail time.

The poll was released just two days after two University of Connecticut students were arrested for allegedly saying racial slurs in a viral video. The 21-year-old suspects were allegedly playing "a game in which they yelled vulgar words," according to the police report. Lystad said such incidents and the rise of social media may be behind the increased willingness of Americans to curb speech rights.

"I think [our findings] are fueled in large part because of a rise of hate speech, but traditionally, hate speech is protected in the First Amendment," Lystad said. "The Supreme Court has upheld that principle time and time again."

Lystad launched the Campaign for Free Speech to advocate for preserving free and open dialogue in America. The group emphasizes that hate speech should be denounced, but does not think censorship is the answer. The group plans to push back against efforts to restrict speech at the local, state, and federal levels.

"Hate speech should be condemned, but legally, the answer to speech we don't like is more speech, not censorship," he said. "Our primary focus is education, and to help people better understand the First Amendment, free speech, free press, and why it's so vital to our democracy."

Wonder how those that want to restrict it would feel if it was restricted in a way they didn't agree with. It's all good and fine as long as it's done in the way that person wants.

There is a reason for free speech.

There is a line though. When you start making up stories to hurt/damage someone should have consequences. The media should be held to better standards then they are now. Want to have an opion on something. Sure go ahead but don't true and pass your feelings on a subject as truthfulness.

quote:

Originally posted by ChicagoSigMan:
51 percent, want to see the First Amendment rewritten to "reflect the cultural norms of today."

And I'll bet dollars to donuts these assholes are commie Democrats. And their big criticism of Republicans used to be "they are shredding the Constitution !!!".

These commies are hell bent on placing a boot on the necks of those who value American freedom.

quote:

'hate speech'

The problem is that these little shits have been indoctrinated by their retarded parents, libtard educational system and reinforced by the social media system.
Anything they don't believe in is hate speech.
Most all of it it is intense liberal indoctrination starting at birth.

As we learned from a professor somewhere in CA, speech can be violent and oppressive.

I have always been interested in the old interview with Ex-KGB officer Yuri Bezmenov back in the mid eighties. When I first saw the interview, I thought this would never be possible. But here we are, and the connection seems to be very real. This goes along way to explain what has transformed the minds of our youth, and is now starting to bear fruit. Our adversaries think in the long term, and set the plans in motion. Some of the old enemies don't even exist anymore, but the seed they planted is bearing some very tart fruit. It feels like we have increasingly conceded the long game, in exchange for the here and now. We need to get back to strategic planning for the future. Education has increasingly become indoctrination.

Millennials seem to enjoy others doing the speaking and thinking for them. It’s how they’ve been raised- in a protective bubble. They want everything provided for them- including how they think.

I wonder how their blood lines will fare when they aren’t earning a living and mommy and daddy pass away? How will their larva survive without the same safety net they are provided? Protesting and throwing bricks (and fits) probably seems like a good idea to lazy shits when someone else is paying the bills and keeping the cell phone active.

Great, can we start by having them all shut the hell up?

quote:

Originally posted by comet24:
There is a reason for free speech.

Several reasons, actually. But unfortunately those reasons are no longer explained by our so-called “education” system. And to be frank, they were seldom explained even long ago when I was in grade school and topics included how to avoid Smilodon attacks. At least then, though, public figures would weigh in on such issues and refer to statements like this that is attributed to Evelyn Beatrice Hall: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” In fact, as I recall I first heard that quotation from my mother who was hardly a politically active person. It was just something the average American was at least vaguely familiar with.

Even if the subject of freedoms wasn’t discussed in depth, there were plenty of reminders. Now, of course, the “right” to not be offended is considered to be far more important than our basic freedoms. As Victor Davis Hanson puts it in his recent book The Case for Trump, “One of the great ironies of our age is that we have somehow managed to become far more sanctimonious than previous generations—and yet far more immoral by traditional standards as well.”

quote:

Of the 1,004 respondents, young people were the most likely to support curbing free expression and punishing those who engage in "hate speech."

1000 people?

Fuck the 510 of them.

I know that millennials are everyone’s favorite whipping boy but did you guys notice that the numbers are not statistically significant between the boomers or Gen X as well? To me that makes this survey even more concerning.

“Nearly 60 percent of Millennials—respondents between the ages of 21 and 38—agreed that the Constitution "goes too far in allowing hate speech in modern America" and should be rewritten, compared to 48 percent of Gen Xers and 47 percent of Baby Boomers”

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:

quote:

Of the 1,004 respondents, young people were the most likely to support curbing free expression and punishing those who engage in "hate speech."

1000 people?

Fuck the 510 of them.

That, and the whole thing is just such a waste of time and energy.

Whoever runs these things would be better to just spend their time teaching 1000 people why the 1A is important, rather than ask stupid questions that you know you're going to get stupid-ass answers to.

In my opinion.

BREAKING: 51% of people asked think that DaMarten and Clevis shouldn't have done that girl wrong on the TV show! Story at 11!

quote:

Originally posted by hbabler:
I know that millennials are everyone’s favorite whipping boy but did you guys notice that the numbers are not statistically significant between the boomers or Gen X as well? To me that makes this survey even more concerning.

“Nearly 60 percent of Millennials—respondents between the ages of 21 and 38—agreed that the Constitution "goes too far in allowing hate speech in modern America" and should be rewritten, compared to 48 percent of Gen Xers and 47 percent of Baby Boomers”

Agreed, that statistic (if accurate) is one of the first glaring things that caught my eye...the next being the obvious concern that a number of these Millenials will not only have children and will pass down their values to them...and unfortunately a number of them will become the next generation of our elected leaders, legislators, or serve in the judicial system.

If those statistics are accurate then Millennials aren't just the problem, but part of a disheartening trend spanning generations. My views aren't usually well received in my circle of family and friends, including many who consider themselves moderately Conservative, but I've been pointing out a failure by parents and educators to not only educate but to promote values such as freedom and free speech in their children for a decade or more.

quote:

Originally posted by Modern Day Savage:
I've been pointing out a failure by parents and educators to not only educate but to promote values such as freedom and free speech in their children for a decade or more.

It may be like saying the sun rises in the east, but that is the fundamental problem.

Sample size of 1004 huh?

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:

quote:

Originally posted by Modern Day Savage:
I've been pointing out a failure by parents and educators to not only educate but to promote values such as freedom and free speech in their children for a decade or more.

It may be like saying the sun rises in the east, but that is the fundamental problem.

It's a bit of mental masturbation on my part, but I sometimes find myself wondering, if I could somehow travel back in time, just what advice I would give to our Founding Fathers while they were in the lengthy process of visualizing what kind of country they wanted to build and just how they would go about ensuring their vision would be guided by the Constitution.

Obviously our Founding Fathers couldn't have foreseen that future generations would stray so far from some of the morals of their day, or probably have even considered that they would place less value on the very freedoms that they felt were so intrinsic to our very existence.

I often wonder if it would have been a good thing for them to have either mandated some sort of educational requirement on the founding and history of our country and government, or perhaps some sort of national holiday recognizing or commemorating it...or perhaps even some type of mandatory civic service that might serve to institutionalize and remind of us to safeguard our liberties...

...and then I run into that pesky concept of liberty.

...just a few ramblings rattling around in my brain with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight.

Liberalism goes hand in hand with youth. With age, maturity and experience, most of these empty-headed, impressionable children will abandon this nonsense. Just wait until their supposed beliefs collide with reality, when they themselves are not allowed to say what they wish.

They don't really know what they believe. Remember how confused you were when you were young. You really didn't know what to believe and you allowed your peer group and teachers to influence you more than you allowed your parents to influence you. Your parents were kinda dumb and old-fashioned. Remember? You were much smarter than they, right? But your friends and your leftist teachers, well, they knew about things. Totally predictable. The only difference is that these little idiots are up against this stupid shit a lot worrse than we were, but life is gonna knock that shit right out of them. Won't take that long, either.

Life and experience will wring this stupid shit out of them, or most of them, anyway. They may "want" to restrict freedom of speech, but they would have to change the Constitution to get what they want. Ain't gonna happen. All they're doing when they make silly statements like this is putting their naivety and inexperience on public display, and most of them will come to regret it.

quote:

Originally posted by comet24:
Wonder how those that want to restrict it would feel if it was restricted in a way they didn't agree with. It's all good and fine as long as it's done in the way that person wants.

That is the usual problem with ideas about monkeying with the Constitution. Everyone likes it just fine when it solves their "problem" but never considers what might happen when the shoe is on the other foot.

It is just as upsetting to me that the generations before millenials are almost as in favor of limiting some speech because it is "hate speech."

I wonder what percentage of those respondents actually have read the Constitution...

quote:

Originally posted by hbabler:
I know that millennials are everyone’s favorite whipping boy but did you guys notice that the numbers are not statistically significant between the boomers or Gen X as well? To me that makes this survey even more concerning.

“Nearly 60 percent of Millennials—respondents between the ages of 21 and 38—agreed that the Constitution "goes too far in allowing hate speech in modern America" and should be rewritten, compared to 48 percent of Gen Xers and 47 percent of Baby Boomers”

Yeah...but in 20 years, guess who will be calling the shots.

These same millenials...the rest of us will be dead.