Blog Post #3

    After reviewing the Eight Values of Free Expression, Protect Dissent caught my attention. With the political events with Donald Trump and the Georgia presidential election results, he was charged and booked on Thursday for conspiracy. But I believe the most essential part was that Trump was given a gag order within his bail stating he must be silent on social media.

    This connection with what we have been learning in class fits hand and hand together. While talking about the First Amendment, the right to freedom of speech, within speech in more detailed categories, is political speech, while this falls under the umbrella of speech, making it protected by law by the First Amendment. The government is silencing someone for criticizing them and stating they do not believe the election was correct. This directly connects to protecting dissent because, as American citizens, we are allowed to criticize the government, as stated in the eight values, “…it is your patriotic duty…”. 

    

Then, going further into more connections in class, the six clauses or freedoms of the First Amendment include the right to petition. “To address the government of plain grievances,” in simpler terms, the government wants you to speak out on what you disagree with and what you don’t like. As stated, in protecting dissent, you have a strongly protected right to disagree with the government, which directly connects to the clause of the petition. Furthermore, in the case of Trump, his right to petition and his value of free expression are being taken away. How much further is our government willing to go? Going against our own Bill of Rights that our country was built from. Once the government starts taking away our freedom of speech, it brings in the factor of whether it is still a democracy? 

    Returning to the speech theory, Protect Dissent, it explains how no matter how unpopular the opinion/view is, it is protected under the First Amendment. It is unconstitutional to not allow Donald Trump to go on social media and post what he wants to say about our government. As stated in class, the freedom of speech protects your political speech. Another way to look at it is that this is a negative right. This is something that the government cannot do to you. Every aspect of this goes against what our entire country was built on. Our people are able to have a say, a voice. That is something that has shaped our country, and there is a reason why it is our First Amendment. 

    Lastly, looking into the fact that the gag order was based on social media. Social media has become such a big factor in today’s age, and it’s where most people hear about the news. The government is able to take away someone’s social media from putting out what they believe is a step in the wrong direction in history. That history started the United States of America and crafted our amendments.