Freedom of Speech

9/23/2012

Read the article here about the Untied States and our right to free speech.
The issue of freedom of speech is not a new one; however, it has recently been a major issue across the world as an American made anti-islam video has been blamed for numerous riots and deaths across the middle east. Recently Washington asked google (who owns youtube) to take the video off of their site, but google refused. Do you think google should have taken the video down? Or would this go against our 1st amendment right?
In the article Pitts says that freedom of speech in the wrong hands can can cause upset, and that in our world of facebook, youtube and twitter, the 1st amendment right has become even more dangerous as some "shlub in Fort Lauderdale could start a riot in Mogadishu". Do you agree with this? Should their be more oversight of what is posted on the internet to stop such problems? Or is that allowing our government too much control over us? Do you agree with what Newt Gingrich said, that we should use this episode to teach the muslim world about freedom?
Comment on anything else you found interesting in the article also.

64 Comments

Austin Tammaro

9/24/2012 10:13:18 am

Freedom of speach is a weapon against horrible people, dictators, and also freedom and good people. It's a good and bad thing, hindering lives with bullying, and also giving people a place to put their minds out in the open without being judged. I think there should be more supervision of the things we put on the internet, but unless its absolutely horrible shouldn't be taken down. With this, it wouldn't be taking away our right, but would help against bullying. I think newt was right.

Allie Schmid

9/29/2012 12:46:57 pm

I do agree with you that freedom of speech can be seen as a form of bullying; and how it gives people a place to put their minds out in the open. However, I'm not agreeing with you on your idea of how there should be more supervision on the internet. We should be free to say what we ant, and that's that. If it's racist, don't read it. Don't make a fuss about it. Just turn away, and life goes on. Yes, there is going to be people in the world that might hate a certain race or religion, or whatever. Yes, we are human; we are going to have likes and dislikes. We are going to have opinions. Also, who would judge on "absolutely horrible"? What defines absolutely horrible? Because, once again, we have opinions, and someone is always going to disagree.

Yvanna Bidart

9/24/2012 12:45:10 pm

I think that Google should keep the video up. Yes, it may be offensive to the Muslim religion but the thing is that they don't understand the freedom of speech amendment. Any one can get offended by anybody's words but we asked for freedom of speech and we got it, now we have to pay the price. Some use the first amendment in the wrong way which hurts someone's thinking such as this video. Yet, they have the total right to do so. I believe that you should think before you post, tweet, reblog, etc. beacause it could cause an upset. There is no law that states you can't post, tweet, or reblog your opinion but it could cause a major problem. I do agree with what Newt Gingrich said in the sense that we should try to make the Muslims understand that the video is just a way of one expressing their opinion and that we can convey our thoughts so they just have to learn how to manage it.

Daniela Ruffo

9/28/2012 03:31:47 pm

I completely agree with you Yvanna. I do think that some people don't understand our first amendment. But we do have the right to say anything we want in social networks. People can take it too far and cause a big problem of the rest of us. We should respect our freedoom and learn how to use it wisely.

Austin White

9/24/2012 01:39:08 pm

Yes, Google should keep the video up. Why? Well amendment one does state the freed of speech and religion. If it's offensive to the Muslim religion then the only thing they can do is not see it. Also it may seem like a horrible use of amendment one, but we all have a opinion in today's society. Also is there any law that states that your not aloud to have a opinion? No, didn't think so. Also there is nothing about the internet that states you can't post certain things, but you can get in trouble or it can get taken down. If the Muslims think its offensive it really isn't, Its just one stating his or her own opinion or expression.

Kendall Emerson

9/25/2012 12:21:11 pm

I tottaly agree with you Austin. It would be against our rigths as United States citizens, and we are aloud to voice our own opinions because of our rights.

Allie Schmid

9/24/2012 03:00:48 pm

Freedom of speech allows people to put whatever they want out into the world, speaking their minds without being hurt. However, I think that slowly, freedom of speech is disappearing. Because we are a society that gets so easily offended, we start to think "Oh that hurt my feelings! They shouldn't be able to say that!" But I think we should be able to say whatever we want. So what if other people don't like it! Human beings should be allowed to have opinions. No, that video should not be taken down from the web.

Freedom of speech has been defined as "The right to express any opinions without censorship or restraint." So, let's keep it that way! Americans should be allowed to say whatever they want without being hurt or torn down. Freedom is what America is proud of, right?

I believe that if we allow the government to tell us what we can and can't say, they have too much control over us. Honestly, what a terrible world we would live in!

I totally agree with what Gingrich was saying. We shouldn't have to fall down to a different "level", just to do what others want. We should voice our opinions, and if someone doesn't like it, so what. That's their own problem and they need to deal with it. America should be proud that we have freedom of speech; that we are allowed to say what we want. We shouldn't be taking that away!

Talitha Johnson

9/25/2012 09:13:28 am

I completely agree with what you were saying on the topic of that it would be a terrible world if people were controlling what we could and couldn't say.

Jason Leary

9/24/2012 03:36:05 pm

I believe that the video should stay up. We should not disregard the first amendment just because it is found offensive. What does our country appear to be if we just throw away or completely disregard one of our own core principles. I do agree with Pitts in the sense that freedom of speech combined with the internet has potential to be a very powerful, dangerous thing. No, I do not think the internet needs oversight to prevent such things. How would the people react, and we cannot just make an exception to an amendment, it's not right. I do agree with Newt that we can serve as an example to the Muslim world about freedom.

Kendall Emerson

9/25/2012 05:34:05 am

Right to Freedom of Speech Blog
As wrong as it may be, I think it would be unacceptable to take down the video. We have the right to freedom of speech whether people like it or not. I believe that it would be going against our amendment if we did take it down. It would be silencing the people’s voice in our country.
The article that Pitts has written states that freedom of speech and freedom to gather can lead to bad situations. This is most definitely true. This amendment can cause national and international havoc, but then I ask this: why would the whole world care about what one small person says? It was just one person that posted that video. One person who put it out. Not a country, not a dangerous terrorist group. One single person, who posted a video about Islam religion that of course, was very harshly made. It is not our fault that the people in Mogadishu rioted. We cannot control how people react to the world around them. If people want to get angry and frustrated over one single person then so be it. Muslims may argue that the government is giving us too much power, but then I ask you this: if we have been given too much power, how come our nation has lasted so long with this law? How come we have held the nation together for such a long time with our freedom? If the government wants to block these videos, then they would be blocking our right to freedom of speech. They cannot block the people’s voice. Not in America you can’t.
However, contrary to my view on the subject, I do not believe in Gingrich’s opinion. I do not want to force people to see things with our eyes. We as a nation cannot force another nation to do what we want. We cannot force someone to believe our thoughts if it obviously goes against theirs.

Morgan Lyons

9/25/2012 08:11:56 am

I don't think Google should take it down because amendment 1. Amendment 1 states the right of freedom of speech, religion, press, petition, and to peacefully assemble. If someone posts something on social networks, they should have the right to post what their thoughts and feelings are. No matter what anyone says, people will protest and do what they wish. If they didn't actually want what amendment 1 says, then they shouldn't of made it.

Minnie Chappell

9/25/2012 11:13:07 am

Morgan I totally agree with you! Amendment 1 states the right of freedom of speech, religion press, etc... We are human beings and we have the right to speak our opinions. Like you said if they didn't actually want what amendment 1 says, then they shouldn't of made it. The video should stay up, the Muslims don't have to look at it but it would be nice if we could teach them the right of freedom!

Talitha Johnson

9/25/2012 09:11:41 am

This was my initial thought- was the government stressing about this for Islams or themselves? But that's another argument.

I also wonder if Washington asked nicely or if the demanded. It makes every difference. I mean, I can just see it.
"Google, take down that video right now, you're being stupid."
"What's the magic word?"
"No. I've got more important things to do than play the begging game with you."
"Well I guess I'll just use the right YOU gave me and keep it up then."
"AUGH I COULD JUST STRANGLE YOU."
1st Amendment, one of those things that makes a mess of things but things would be an even bigger mess without it.

Gaelen Martin

9/25/2012 09:45:29 am

This article is a really hard one to respond to. I'm still not sure if I completely agree with everything it is stating. I do feel like the first amendment is an important one; Americans are used to having the right of free speech. I believe that free speech is an amendment that should never be taken away because our right of free speech gives a voice in our government. However, the right for free speech can be abused. I don't think the government has complete control of what is posted, but they should have control when something gets out of hand. I do believe that if the video was taken down it would help a little bit, but not much now. It is not easy to see what should and shouldn't be allowed when it comes to the right of free speech. I agree with Pitts when he said that the 1st amendment may be the "most dangerous words ever written". Guaranteeing a right for free speech means guaranteeing unpredictable events to occur. Yet, this video was obviously made to cause some sort of chaos. People in the Middle East are clearly going to be mad. Why should we expect people to be familiar with a foreign amendment? Gingrich says this should all be to 'teach the Muslim world about freedom'. I think there are other ways to show freedom. In the end, free speech is an important part of our daily lives, but sometimes things get outrageous.

Daly Brister

9/25/2012 12:50:13 pm

I agree that the first amendment is quite dangerous and by putting it in the hands of every american we are taking a massive risk. By doing so, we should be prepared for some backlash from cultures that our speech offends. Problems with the first amendment are always going pop up and the only way to resolve them is to deal with them as they come along. People need to have respect for the first amendment and not abuse their power.

Minnie Chappell

9/25/2012 11:08:03 am

The first amendment states that we have the right of freedom of speech, this allows people to say whatever they want out into public. We can say anything about government, laws, absolutely anything that comes to our mind. Because of this I think that we should keep the video up. However, I do believe that we have taken this law a little too far. I believe that we should think before we speak. Many people get hurt by words, but we are human beings and we should be allowed to state our opinions. If the Muslims don’t like the video they don’t have to look at it! I Agree with Gingrich we should teach the Muslim’s about freedom, they are overrun by government and have no say in anything. But we have to understand, the Middle East is not used to have freedom they are used to their ways of laws. So when they see this video up in front of the whole world there obviously going to be hurt and mad. Overall freedom of speech is one of the most important laws we have, but it can get out of hand sometimes.

Morgan Lyons

9/26/2012 08:02:24 am

I totally agree. Amendment 1 states it's okay, and the government (people who made it) can't all of the sudden go around it. There should be exceptions for the laws though. You couldn't have said it better. People can be very sensitive, and no matter what anyone says, there is always going to be a person hurt.

Yvanna Bidart

9/27/2012 01:37:12 pm

I also agree that the first Amendment is perfectly fine. We have the right to speak our minds whenever we want, we just got to know when the time is right to speak out. Yet, the first Amendment is sometimes mislead. We should take into consideration other peoples feelings. In this case, the video should stay up even though it was hurtful towards the Muslim religion. The Muslims just have to get used to the way we work with freedom.

Jarret Osmialowski link

9/25/2012 11:09:46 am

I have mixed feelings about this article and the anti-muslim video, but especially the issue that this video has created. It's a tough call whether to take the video off Youtube or not. This video can be viewed as taking advantage of the first amendment, but also abusing it a little. I hate to say it, but this video is proof of a right that a citizen has and therefore, should not be taken down. On the other hand, it it verbally attacking another religion and the people who follow it. I know that people who are muslim are not happy. A Pakistani government minister offered a $100,000 reward for the death of the man who made the film. I personally want the video to be taken down, but it is the man's rights as a citizen to have freedom of speech, even though it may be wrong.

Shelby Mayes

9/25/2012 12:35:53 pm

I completely agree with what you said here! I too believe that the video should be taken out in order to protect American citizens. I think the Constitution was created to protect us and now people are using an Amendment to allow people to continue to be hurt if not killed. I think because of other things stated in the Constitution besides the first Amendment that video should be taken down.

Allie Schmid

9/29/2012 12:57:10 pm

I'm sorry, but I just had to say something here. Once I have said what I want, please don't think too badly of me. Anyway, I do agree that the Constitution was made to protect us. But, people are using the 1st Amendment how, honestly, I think they should be. True, they can be cruel and harsh. But, it's their opinion, and whoever doesn't like it doesn't have to look at it. It's not like someone is forcing them to look or listen to these things. They can turn their backs, and disagree. The Amendment is not allowing people to be hurt and killed. This Amendment did nothing wrong! It's the people who hurt and kill over their hurt feelings. It's like the saying that I very strongly believe in, "Guns don't kill people; people kill people." It is the human being that is wielding the gun. It is the human being that is using their anger to hurt others. It's not the Amendment's fault. It's the person's fault. The people who are using the freedom of speech aren't doing anything wrong. What they say might hurt other's feelings, but it's up to those people to decide what they're going to do with their hurt. Sorry if I hurt your feelings, please, if you totally hated what I said, just turn away and forget about it. Thanks.

Allie Schmid

9/29/2012 12:57:36 pm

Allie Schmid

9/29/2012 01:00:22 pm

Daly Brister

9/25/2012 12:24:25 pm

This has come too far to be stopped now. This video has already been seen by anyone who wishes to see it and taking it down now would be useless. People show disrespect of other's religions and cultures all the time. The only thing that makes this instance different is that there was a camera nearby.
What those soldiers did was unacceptable and there should be consequences for their actions; However, This video does not fairly represent all of our soldiers as a whole. We have done all we can do, including apologizing to the islam community for something we are not directly responsible for. This situation is out of our hands and all that's left is damage control. There is no questioning wether or not to take down the video, it is not even an option in a country with so much freedom. If there was a video of every disrespectful and vulgar gesture toward america, we would be at war till the end of time. I would understand an upset at this video but, never for it to go this far. We have rights that cannot be taken from us, no matter the circumstances and have held on to these rights much to long to let go of them now.

Imani Ware

9/28/2012 03:42:43 pm

I agree with you Daly! The video was uncalled for and disgusting, those soldiers should not have done what they did. However, why should our nation take the blame as a whole for what they have done when we have already apologized about the video. The the retaliation to the video was a little too extreme, but I know it was only a group of people who did that assault on the U.S. embassy. However, Libya should not be blamed for the action of the group, like some blamed us. "Treat people the way you want to be treated" and we should not continue this feud between Libya and the U.S. It is not worth the fight

Shelby Mayes

9/25/2012 12:33:25 pm

I think google did the right thing in asking youtube to take the video down. These are Americans losing their lives over a video that can be removed with the push of a button. I do strongly believe that everyone has the freedom of speech but according to the Necessary and Proper Clause: Congress has the right to to make all laws which should be necessary and proper for carrying the Executions of forgoing powers.
I believe in this situation it is necessary that the video be taken down in order to protect our US citizens. I think this situation is more of a protection thing than a "restrict our rights" thing. I believe avoiding taking the video down and risking the lives of Americans is abusing the first Amendment of the Constitution.

Jarret Osmialowski

9/27/2012 09:53:44 am

Shelby, I agree with you to no end. Your point and argument is valid and makes sense. People should not die because of a video. The video should be taken down, because is abusing your power of freedom of speech really worth innocent lives being taken? My answer is no. Have a nice day Shelby.

Emma Kriechbaumer

9/25/2012 12:41:19 pm

I believe that the video should stay up even if it has caused this much commotion. Taking down the video could have the potential in causing an even larger riot and spread it throughout America. In doing this, many people may think we are forgetting about our 1st amendment, one of the most important in our every day lives. Without this amendment we would not have freedom of speech and that would take away from us being ourselves.
The internet does have the power to create horrible things with this amendment but taking it away would upset many, many people. If this was going to be such a problem, we shouldn't have created it in the first place.But now that it is done, we have no right to suddenly abolish it.
We are entitled to our own personal opinions, thoughts and beliefs and thats how it should remain.

Marie Miller

9/25/2012 01:05:24 pm

I totally agree with you! I definitely think that taking the video down would be a mistake because it would cause more commotion. I also agree that without the first amendment, we couldn't really be ourselves.

Jason Leary

9/25/2012 02:36:33 pm

Couldn't agree more Emma. I agree with pretty much everything you said. It would be a mistake to take it down.

Marie Miller

9/25/2012 01:04:08 pm

I think that the video should stay up because people should have their own say in topics and the Muslims just don't understand what the First Amendment really means. I agree that facebook or youtube or sites like that can be dangerous, but that doesn't mean that we have to limit what is posted. People should be able to say what they want to say, and if the limited to what was posted, it would cause even more discussion and upset. I also agree that we can use this video to help teach the Muslim's what this Amendment really means because it will give them a better understanding about what it really means to be able to have full freedom.

Austin White

9/25/2012 01:07:33 pm

Marie, very well said I would have to agree with you. Muslims have there own rules and laws I would imagine, and if it's offensive to them then there going to have to just deal with it. Cause in the US there is a right to the freedom of speech. GO USA!

Emma Kriechbaumer

9/27/2012 02:14:24 pm

Marie, i loved what you had to say about it. I really agreed and related to every point you covered. Facebook and other social media sites can be dangerous but we should not be punished if we aren't going to use them in that way. People are entitled to say whatever they want to , without that we would not be as free of a country as we are today.

Nathan Gehlken (period 2)

9/25/2012 01:06:05 pm

I agree with Google’s claim to keep the video up. I think it is perfectly fine to have a video up on the internet that is informational and can be watched, enjoyed, and can be something that gives you knowledge or information. Sure, it may be offensive to the Middle East, but I actually agree with Newt Gingrich for once, that this incident can be used to inform or teach the Middle East about “freedom,” something they definitely do not currently own at the moment. And besides, removing the video may spark protests in America in an effort to say that just because some people don’t like something; it shouldn’t be removed from the source. The film creator shouldn’t be in hiding, there shouldn’t be this much of a stir over the video, It didn’t harm anyone, and It definitely was not a threat of any kind, and it had no intention of offending Islamic people.

Jake Little

9/25/2012 01:58:05 pm

Nathan I like your approach and it makes me wanna change my answer, except for one thing. We can't really keep this video up in case of more outbreaks that lead to an extent to Muslims hating America. If the film-makers approached their topic in a different manner then it could be pretty boarder-line. Still videos that have angered people somehow find their way in the trash, so I think keeping it up would only lead to it over time being shut off.

Daniela Ruffo

9/25/2012 01:24:47 pm

The video is an example of people abusing the first amendment. Yes, we do have the freedom of speech and religion, but a lot of people take that too far. The video should stay up becuase it is a reminder that we do have freedom of speech. Taking the video down will only resolve in other problems that lead to people protesting against government on how they did follow the first amendment. The article really does give you something to think on how the first amendment has very dangerous words in it that people can use for the wrong reasons. Freedom is a very dangerous thing in the hands of people that do not use it carefully or respectfully. We need to apreciate the fact that we do have that much freedom when other countries do not, and then, sadly, we have to pay the price of the people abusing that same freedom.

Jake Little

9/25/2012 01:54:18 pm

I think in my opinion, of course we should take down the video. This nation is built on our Bill Of Rights, but that's doesn't mean we get to abuse it. You can say whatever hate speech or whatever to your buddy's, but making a film about it is just troublesome and cruel. By making a film against the Islam religion that's saying they we should take away their "freedom of religion" with our "freedom of speech". It's a lose-lose situation that results in these riots. We can't just go "anything", we have the right to disagree and have our own ideas, but we shouldn't allow something that is causing an alarming rate of concern to continue, that just makes more trouble and gives a bad viewpoint of our values. Even last weekend when Billy Joe from Green Day cussed out iHeartRadio for when they went to play at their festival and they cut their time short. The band had to send an apology and had to clear things up with the people before things got out of hand (i.e lawsuits). It's not like we live under a shroud of what not to say, we just have to use common sense.

Max Vineyard

9/25/2012 02:23:12 pm

Do I agree with google's decision to keep up the video. Sure. I don't necessarily care whether they took it down or not, but what I do know is that riots are occurring in the middle east due to the video. Now I have read seperate stories about this video, but what stood out to me the most was that all of them usually said something like this "Muslims claim to have a very peaceful religion yet they combat this video with violence". This stood out to me because it made so much sense. It would be the same as claiming you don't have a bad temper yet you receive a bad grade from a teacher and you go completely crazy. I have seen it done before and I think that is what we are seeing in the middle east

Gregg Gonzalez

9/26/2012 01:23:17 pm

I completely agree with you Max! You completely right about how you it doesn't make a difference to you or me if they took it down, but riots have started because of this video. I also agree with you how riots concerning freedom are things that we have done before as a country. I like how you put this together!

zach pyne

9/26/2012 01:56:24 pm

i agree max it wouldent hve made a diffrence to me either and you made alot of good points in your statement

Fred Schlichtholz

9/27/2012 07:29:27 am

you do bring up a good point about how people have blamed things on muslims. i dont think that right. i do think america is trying to force its people into thinking things about others that arent necessarly true. i dont agree with you that its the muslims fault though because you dont really know the true story. people do things for reason we dont know because you have to remember that america give us what they want us to know not what we need to know

Cameron Penny

9/25/2012 02:45:02 pm

Without even seeing the video, I think that Google should keep it up. Taking the video off of YouTube would totally go against everything written in the 1st amendment. I do agree with Pitts when he said that freedom in the wrong hands can cause upset; but honestly I think that is a given. Whatever your opinion is, there will always be someone who opposes it, which is why the first amendment is so important. The first amendment makes it so that whatever your opinion is, at least the government can’t force you to think differently. Although sometimes peoples opinions could get a little out of hand when involving websites like Facebook, Twitter, etc., if the government overlooked it, then there should be no first amendment. I agree with Newt, in a way, because he is saying that the video is to teach the Muslim world about freedom.

Oliver Palmieri

9/25/2012 03:15:44 pm

I believe that they should take this video down. Freedom of speech is meant to benefit people not purposely hurt people. There is no benefit of keeping that video up. No one in America is really gaining for having this up. Although, there are large amounts of disadvantages from this video. There are large populations of people that hate us now, there are many riots against us going on, and there are even deaths happening from this. This is why Google should have taken this video down, because there will not be any bad outcomes from removing this. Only benefits.

Savannah Welch

9/27/2012 02:34:17 pm

Hrmm, this is interesting because in many cases, there are definitely different sides to a story, and this would be one of those cases. You are definitely right about citizens in America not gaining much from this video (unless they are being entertained by watching Fox News' reports). I can understand your side of the "video issue," too. It's kind of hard to determine the exact right way to solve this problem, and it was interesting to hear your side of it. It made me think.

Carolyn Gauvin

9/26/2012 09:30:14 am

I think that Google did the right thing by not taking down their video. They are allowed to get their opinion across others because its the public's job to decide who they are going to believe and it's THEIR freedom of speech to do so. However, there's a fine line between freedom of speech, and hurting others. If you are going to be opinionated about a topic that has a lot of controversy on, then make educated statements for the cause, not to prove people wrong. Freedom of speech is for those who feel like they need to be heard, and they don't want to get in trouble for going along with one of their own rights. If you are going to state your freedom of speech some place in the public, you should remember though that one of the consequences might be a riot started about it. I agree with Newt Gingrich because the Muslims must realize that its one of out amendments that we earned the freedom of speech and that we are going to use it to our abilities.

shane mccartney

9/26/2012 09:48:08 am

i also agree that Google did the right thing and kept the video up on the web. it is part of the first amendment, the right of freedom of speech. I think it is against our 1st amendment right because they are expressing their emotions or whatever, and that is the whole meaning for that amendment.
Also, i think that the government should over sight what is posted on the web, to a certain extent. if things are like racial or threatening, then i think that they should be able to take it odwn. but if it isnt, then i think it should be able to stay up on the web.

Oliver Palmieri

9/27/2012 02:48:59 pm

Very well said Shane. Although i have to disagree that they should have kept the video up. You also said it yourself that the government should monitor what is put on the internet. Keeping this video up is bad, because there is no benefit for keeping it up except that we want to.

Sydney Althof

9/26/2012 11:40:02 am

I really think google should keep the video up. People are just expressing their opinions and they can really say whatever they want to some extent. I really thing freedom of speech and just equality is just just one of the most important things in the world.

Gregg Gonzalez

9/26/2012 01:20:06 pm

I believe that it was the right thing do as google kept the video up. The 1st amendment does state freedom of speech; then why would the government ask them to go against the amendment and take down their argument? The government never though someone that big would happen that included that right. I also believe that we should use the video to allow the world of islam to become free. I think that would stop all the war between the two of us.

Max Vineyard

9/26/2012 02:32:25 pm

Nicely said Gregg. I liked how you kept it short and to the point. Why does government even need to question our first amendment right to freedom of speech. In my opinion what right does the government have in trying to even negotiate this. I like how you also mentioned the war stopping and I wish nothing but that, but until then we will keep seeing stuff like this.

Hannah Monroe

9/26/2012 01:31:36 pm

I agree that freedom of speech can be dangerous in the wrong hands. It can even, clearly, upset whole nations. I'm not saying the man was right or wrong to post that video, but it doesn't matter. What matters is that he was allowed to post that and he cannot be punished for his actions. I think that Google should keep that video up because forcibly removing it would be submitting to the wants of other countries and that could mean other countries attempting to bully us to get their way. However, I disagree with Newt Gingrich. I do believe that every country should have a right to freedom of speech, however, this video was obviously insulting and may have even reversed progress others have made to be able to speak freely.

Tom Holman

9/27/2012 12:34:36 pm

Hannah, I agree with your opinion on the dangers of freedom of speech. The man should have the right to post the video by all means, but every hit video should be watched by the employes at google, and at least censored. You put the statement in the words I would have used; this video was obviously insulting and may have reversed progress others have made to be able to speak freely.

zach pyne

9/26/2012 01:51:30 pm

i believe it was the right thing for Google to keep the video up because the 1st amendment says freedom of speech and they probably never thought it would turn into such a big deal with riots breaking out. personally it wouldn't make any difference to if they had taken the video down

Robert Garner

9/26/2012 02:08:38 pm

Google was doing the smart thing when they said they would not take down the video. It stays within the first amendment and they shouldn't have to be bullied to take it down by some offended Arabians. I agree with Pitts because the simple act of free speech and openly expressing yourself can be a very dangerous thing. People can help the world or open peoples' minds, and they can enrage, offend, and influence other societies and cultures. The government should not try to control what the citizens of the United States say on the Internet, even though it may be damaging, because we have the ability to openly express our opinions. I also agree with Newt Gingrich because the autocratic countries with dictators in the Middle East need to open their eyes more and see the idea of freedom and the benefits that come with it.

Tom Holman

9/26/2012 02:19:21 pm

I agree wìth google in the sense that they do own their right of free speech. However, when it brings us humans down to life and death, most of us would think it has gone haywire. When the man who posted the video received all of the negative feedback from the terrorists, he obviously obtained a reaction that he had hoped for. I believe that his video should have been taken down when google was asked to take it down, but it would go against the first ammebdment. I disagree with Newt Gimgrich, all countries should have free speech, and honestly I doubt that they learned any form of peace. The idea is that when it comes to breaking a law or ammebdment, the government should be able to negotiate without the worry of being sued.

Carolyn Gauvin

9/27/2012 01:14:54 pm

I completely agree with you Tom ! Also, great use of the word "haywire" ! i dont know what else to say, except for when you said that he got what he wanted dealing with the response to the video, and that even though its against the 1st amendment for the video to be taken down by FORCE, it is the right thing to do.

Savannah Welch

9/26/2012 04:00:37 pm

Okay, so really, why should Google take down that video? Sure, it's making people in the Middle East upset, but there is that little thing called freedom of speech that kicks in. If people feel a certain way about Muslims, whether it's good or bad, they should be able to post it on a public place where even "suggestive" sights are allowed. Taking this video down most definitely violates the 1st Amendment.

Well, freedom of speech does vary between who says what, and who is a reliable source. For example, if you compare a homeless bum who says that Obama should win the presidency because of how he looks, to a college professor who has studied economics and politics who says that Obama should win the election based off of his past records, who would you believe, even though they give the same answer: vote for Obama? Anyways, I don't think that the government should tighten what goes online, because that's sort of like what the government in China is doing, and I think that is way too much control (since the government is suppose to be for the people).

And yes, I do agree with what Newt Gingrich said.

Cameron Penny

9/27/2012 12:45:59 pm

I totally agree with you when you said that if people feel a certain way that they should be able to post it on a public place. That is the first amendment. Also, your example about the bum and a college professor was really good. I think that the government should not control what people put online because that kind of goes against the first amendment anyways. I also agree with Newt because he said that the video was made to teach the Muslim world about freedom.

Savannah Welch

9/27/2012 02:24:44 pm

Thank you! Yeah, it just makes sense not to completely violate the 1st Amendment (and I mean, it's the very first one, too). Usually, the first ones of anything are the most important, so I don't think the Amendments of a country are any exception... haha

Imani Ware

9/26/2012 04:08:41 pm

Google should not take the video down since that would contradict our first amendment and without amendments, what would we, the citizens of the United States, have without our rights and freedom. Would we have our hope and dignity? Give me a break, our hope and dignity is nothing against the power of the government if we did not have freedom. They would control our lives; we would be luck to even have our hope and dignity in that horrible situation. The government should not control us completely, but should have enough control to keep us in order, to prevent us from getting out of control. The right to freedom of speech is one of the many things we should always keep a grip onto so we can control our lives.
The article is about how the first amendment is very dangerous because what people say can be "offensive" to others, but can also be happy and "uplifting." I agree with the article because the first amendment can start arguments between different societies. It can be very dangerous and I think we should explain it to everyone who questions it because freedom would be less dangerous if everyone understood what it was. Freedom is a right that we must keep protected from any power trying to take it away from us or we would lose power over ourselves.

Gaelen Martin

9/27/2012 10:33:36 am

I agree with most of what you said. I think you are definitely right about the government not having complete control, just enough to keep everyone in order. If the government has slight control over what is posted, then the controversy may have never happened. I also agreed with the article. The first amendment should never be taken away, but should be used with caution. Hopefully if something like this happens again people will understand that not every society has the same amendments/laws and will view things differently. I also agree when you said "freedom would be less dangerous if everyone understood what it was". This is very true, because not everyone understands the extent of freedom, as far as amendments go. The first amendment hold most of our individual freedom, and it does need to be recognized.

Fred Schlichtholz

9/27/2012 07:22:32 am

i personally dont think they should force them to take it down. youtube/google does have the freedom of speech which like they said is a ying and yang type of thing. then again people across the world that see the video are inturpeting it for what they think. this is a 2 way deal so if the video isnt that bad and people are just over exaggerating then yeah they have the right ti keep it up. i do think though if the video is just causing problems that google should fine that a problem and take it down. i kinda think they are poking the government in the face and seeing how long they did just take it before they do something about it.

i personal dont think more should be done to limit what we say i think people should just be careful of what they say. i think alot of people just do mean things because they can. people like the power they have from their right and i do think we the people abuse it. we shouldnt give them oversight of everything becaus ei do feel like that would be invading your privacy.

i dont think also that this should make this teach anyone. she shouldnt force our american views on anyone. she broke away from britain because they tried to force things upon us the only difference was we had a plan. most forgien countrys cant function on its own because they are just so unprepared for change.

Anonymous

9/27/2012 09:49:45 am

Just to let everyone know, the film-maker who made the anti muslim video was just arrested in California today. So yeah.

http://news.yahoo.com/apnewsbreak-man-behind-anti-islam-film-arrested-223808521.html

Phillip Burns

10/8/2012 11:03:55 pm

Fuck this class! #YOLO

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