BLOG ENTRY 6

After reading chapter 4 and 14 and learning about Tinker vs. Des Moines, and after analyzing the Morse v. Frederick case I intensely believe that Frederick should not be penalized one bit for expressing himself and his point of view. Frederick vs. Morse is absolutely no different than Tinker vs. Des Moines besides the fact that the expression "Bong Hits for Jesus" is more crude than wearing a black bracellette. The principal however, is the same. As one of the students protesting at Washington D.C. correctly said, "Because of Tinker the supreme court has come a long way in voting in the favor of the students and protecting their freedom of speech. Today we will see if we have taken a step back or if we will continue to progress". I do not think I could have put this better myself. By displaying his sign, Frederick did not prevent any students from learning or any teachers from teaching. He displayed it at an off campus event, there was no violence involved. It was simply an expression. Last time I checked our Bill of Rights allowed us to have freedom of speech, and therefore, in my opinion, if the supreme court ruled against Frederick it would be ridiculous.
As far as what free speech rights students should have in the classroom, I honestly think that unless a student is preventing his fellow students from learning either by the was he is expressing himself or with what he is expressing it should not be allowed. Other then that students should be allowed exercise their freedom of speech without any restrictions, such as, not wanting to offend the teacher in fear of getting a bad grade. Teachers should also realize that their students have the same rights as them and make the students feel like they are free to express themselves as long as they are not disrupting the learning process for others.
I think that Freedom of Speech is a big part of what defines America, and what sets it apart from so many other nations. Most Americans born and raised here, can not even imagine being shot or taken jail for simply stating that they do not like their President. Many foreign cultures may see talking negatively about the government our country's rules as disrespect; however, it is through freedom of speech that this country was able to reform and evolve and evolve into the nation it is today. Freedom of Speech allows the people to speak their mind. It opens the door to many different opinions and points of view. It allows the government to hear the people and learn of their likes and dislikes so that the government can actually be a government for the people by the people. I think freedom of speech is essential to the constitution and is one of the benefits for living in this country. On a personal note, maybe because it is because I have the kind of personality where i tend to speak my mind, freedom of speech is very important to me. I like knowing that if my rights in any way are violated by any one, be it a manager, a teacher, etc. I have the right to speak out about it. Furthermore, when my government acts in a way that I do not agree with and that I think will not be beneficial to my nation, I have every right to let them know. Whether it is through a protest or a boycott or with crude signs, I can express myself and my opinions. It is very important to me that I have that choice and that right, and I can not imagine living in a country where I did not.