Blog Post #3

 The Eight Values Of Free Expression

(By Naomi Blowe- April 1st, 2021)

The world today is full of people wanting to make a change or have their voices heard through the crowd. To some, it might seem impossible to rise to the top and have importance placed on your words. Thankfully our forefathers and mothers thought ahead about this issue and place regulations into the First Amendment of the Consitution. There are eight values of expression that are withheld in the constitution. In this age of social revolution and volatile political climates,
some stand out more than others.

The 8th Value: Protect Dissent

The 8th value of free expression is the most relevant pertaining to current issues and events. The value in protecting dissent is in our history. Our government is built on democracy and was never meant to be one of mob rule. The government holds power only so long as the people allow it. It is one of the most valued rights we hold, for it was this value we enacted in 1776 with the creation and signing of the Declaration of Independence. In fact, it is in that very declaration where it is stated that it is our patriotic duty to criticize the government. As found in A Declaration of Independence: A Transcript the document reads: 

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness... it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

An example of this in current times would be the Black Lives Matter Movement that regained momentum in the Summer of 2020.

    Black Lives Matter

The Black Lives Matter Movement regained steam after the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor. This was a movement against systemic racism in America as examples by the disproportionate killing of Black people by Police Officers. This is not an issue that had just occurred but rather one that more people are being educated on. The people involved in the protest and petition of grievances are exercising their right to free speech, assembly and petition all held under the 8th Value of expression, the protection of the right to dissent.  This issue has persisted for many years, and as the Declaration of Independence states above, it is the duty of the people to stand against a system that threatens their life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. More details on the history of the Black Lives Matter movement can be found at BLM Timeline.

The 5th Value: Check on Governmental Power

The 5th Value of Expression is the value of having Checks on Governmental Power. In the First Amendment, there are six fundamental freedoms, one of which is the freedom of the press. This freedom may not be what you think it is. Most people belie that this rule applies only to those who work in the press industry, such as journalists or reporters, but that is not the case. This freedom is for all written works, made by any person, whether it be a book, a pamphlet promoting religion, or even a blog sug as this one. It is that freedom of the press that allows us to keep tabs on governmental actions and watch for abuse of power and provides us an avenue to correct this behavior once spotted. This is part of the checks and balances system.

The Checks and Balances system is an imperative part of our government. For it is even said that the citizens but be the front line to any governmental abuse of power. A recent example of the government implementing internal checks and balances is the Impeachment of Former President Donald Trump... Twice. 

Former President Trump was Impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. This power of impeachment falls into the hands of the Legislative branch of government. The House of Representatives has the power to enact an impeachment and the Senate has the power to try all impeachment trials. The house acts on the behalf of the people and thus it all comes back to the will of the people once again. An individual citizen has the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances, giving them the power to check the government on their actions. Without such a power awarded to the people, the government would be able to run without regulation, effectively installing a mob rule, which is what our forefathers and mothers fought against. 

The 6th Value: Promote Tolerance 

Tolerance encompasses some aspects of the previous two points. The value of tolerance is that society as a whole simultaneously and yet without a spoken word agree that some things are taboo. And so we extend protections to hateful speech in order to foster a more tolerant society. This helps spread social norms and acceptable behavior. There have been many examples most recently of society exhibiting this behavior. People, more specifically have cultivated a social field filled with Cancel Culture. 

Cancel culture is when a public figure comes under scrutiny for a past present or chronic action deemed irreprehensible or condemnable by the public, then they are seen as irrelevant and generally deplorable people. This has lead to the down fall of many celebrities and public figures. More recently Famous youtube and beauty guru James Charles has been under fire for accusations of pedophilia and grooming. This is an example of how we as a society have deemed such actions as reprehensible and this cast out and reprimand the people who perform such actions. Cancle culture also extends to issues such as racism, homophobia, xenophobia and more. So to the naked eye it may seem strange to protect such behaviors, but it is we the people who shall protect ourselves. 

Blog Post #2

         

   The Inner Workings of the Supreme Court

I learned a lot from watching Part 1 and Part 2 of the supreme court videos. One thing that surprised me was the way that the court actually worked together. My thinking had always been that because the court was appointed by different presidents, as the video mentioned, that they would hold the views of the president that appointed them in consideration. Instead, I found that all of the judges were quite non-biased in their decisions and quite attentive to the intricacies and wording of the commanding document the Constitution. I also gained a lot of knowledge on the actual decision-making process, I thought it was kind of a unanimous decision type of process, but there is actually a great deal of deliberation and consideration that the judges do. Of course, this process can only allow for a certain number of cases to be seen at a time. I did not know the actual large quantity of petitions they received in a year and just how many they had to turn away. 

Again when it comes to the decision and announcement on a case, I was surprised that only one person would write up a report, and then in some cases, people who did not agree with the final decision would write dissents. I have read one dissent on a case from a long time ago, I found it refreshing that the judges even if they were in the minority were given this opportunity to give their opinions and rebuttals.