Free Speech Includes Christian Expressions

"The people shall not be deprived or abridged of their right to speak, to write, or to publish their sentiments; and the freedom of the press, one of the great bulwarks of liberty, shall be inviolable." 

James Madison¹

Political correctness that conceals controversial opinions is nothing other than dictatorial cowardice and completely contrary to American free speech. How the general populace of the USA has allowed such a concept to take root in our culture is only a pure socialist draconian success story that most Americans should be ashamed to sanction. Our founding fathers would be aghast about the current state of the first amendment and how easily free loving people cowered to intellectual ignorance over common sense and resign ourselves to the concept of political correctness.

This angst surfaced over a story Todd Starnes published about a fire chief in Atlanta (Kelvin J. Cochran) who was fired for simply publishing his opinion, his Christian view, on marriage; the key word here being, Christian. This poison (political correctness) to American based free speech is well defined by Dr. Ben Carson’s view and similar patriots of our constitutional rights. This is not to say there are some things that should not be proclaimed when it violates safety or contributes to vicious damaging slander. Screaming “FIRE” falsely in a building or lying about a rape is not an inviolable or an inalienable right. But an opinion based on refutable information only contributes to constructive discourse for truth, knowledge and respect for the common wellbeing of everyone. Political correctness is merely an ill used weapon for those who know not, or cannot defend an idea with an acceptable, valid or truthful premise.

Kelvin J. Cochran said it well in the aforementioned article above. “The LGBT members of our community have a right to be able to express their views and convictions about sexuality and deserve to be respected for their position without hate or discrimination. But Christians also have a right to express our belief regarding our faith and be respected for our position without hate and without discrimination. In the United States, no one should be vilified, hated or discriminated against for expressing their beliefs.” - Kelvin Cochran, former fire chief of Atlanta, GA.

Right on Kelvin! Our founding fathers agree.

“Every man has a right to utter what he thinks truth, and every other man has a right to knock him down for it.”

 Samuel Johnson, as quoted in James Boswell's The Life of Samuel Johnson, Vol. 1 (1791), p. 335.

“Error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.”

Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801.

 “Without Freedom of Thought there can be no such Thing as Wisdom; and no such Thing as Public Liberty, without Freedom of Speech.”

Benjamin Franklin, writing as Silence Dogood, No. 8, July 9, 1722

“If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” 

George Washington

¹ James Madison (1751–1836), U.S. president. First draft of what became the First Amendment, June 8, 1789. W.T. Hutchinson et al., The Papers of James Madison, vol. 12, p. 201, Chicago and Charlottesville, Virginia (1962-1991).