At the founding of our country, a few men sat down to compose a constitution setting forth what they believed to be the most important rights. Among these rights was the freedom of speech. When this right was granted to the American people, it was done so without any restrictions, confines, or strings attached. In the case of the Quran burning incident, Pastor Jones still has his rights. Whether people agree with what he is doing or not really does not matter, because he is an American citizen and maintains the right to free speech. Due to this, President Obama has no place to say things like, “I hope he listens to those better angels and understands that this is a destructive act that he’s engaging in” (Bradley). By expressing his beliefs, Obama is putting the pressure on someone to not freely express themselves, which is the opposite of the oath he sworn to protect peoples ability to do just that.
Although I do agree with the media and many other Americans that Pastor Jones should not burn the Quran, I would never consider that his ability to do so should be taken away from him. One article wrote, “In this country Pastor Jones and his associates still have the right to do as he wishes to his own property. In this case their property includes Korans” (Krsiean). If the ability to do what he wishes to his own property is taken away from Pastor Jones, then we all should be fearful of what the future will hold concerning our personal rights. Making exceptions to rules could be a slippery slope, and in one case, where the majority of the people may not believe in the cause or agree with the actions of another person, the ability to choose should never be taken away. Often times we need to think and realize how precious freedom truly is.
Although I do agree with the media and many other Americans that Pastor Jones should not burn the Quran, I would never consider that his ability to do so should be taken away from him. One article wrote, “In this country Pastor Jones and his associates still have the right to do as he wishes to his own property. In this case their property includes Korans” (Krsiean). If the ability to do what he wishes to his own property is taken away from Pastor Jones, then we all should be fearful of what the future will hold concerning our personal rights. Making exceptions to rules could be a slippery slope, and in one case, where the majority of the people may not believe in the cause or agree with the actions of another person, the ability to choose should never be taken away. Often times we need to think and realize how precious freedom truly is.
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