What speech really means is: Communication between a speaker and a listener. Without both speaker and listener, you have no speech.
The most important reason for our forefathers placing “free speech” at the beginning of the Constitution was to preserve democracy. Democracy means “rule of the people.”
Who are “the people”? We are. You and me and every citizen of this country. We are the people.
We are meant to rule this country. We do this by electing people to manage this country for us.
Before we elect someone to this important job, we need to know who they are, what they think. We need to trust them that they will truly represent us.
Back in the days when this form of government began, there was no radio, no television, no internet. If someone wanted to be heard by the people, they did one of two things: They gave speeches or they published their opinions in handouts they posted and gave to people.
The candidate relied on the opinion of other people, supporters, who also gave speeches and published their own opinions. The candidate might be supported by the owners and managers of newspapers.
The importance of Free Speech was recognized as absolutely necessary for democracy to work. The idea was that only through free speech would we, the public, know the truth about what was happening in our country. Only Free Speech would give our citizens as much information as they needed to vote for a candidate.
Free speech needs a free press. The free press needed money to pay their bills. And their owners needed money to pay for their lifestyles. Some owners wanted a lot of money. Some of them would do anything to get it. They would accept money to publish whatever someone paid them to say, whether or not it was true. This country began to be controlled by money instead of Truth. Truth was not important any more.
This country began to be controlled by money instead of Truth. Truth was not important any more
A new form of government began, a form of government that would replace democracy. This new form of government was based on money. If someone had enough money, they could buy a politician who would “take care of them”.
Those super-rich people began to buy politicians. They did this by buying the companies that owned newspapers and magazines and websites. And when voters wanted to learn what kind of person was running for office, these were the only candidates that were able to learn about.
People like you and me trusted the newspapers we read. We didn’t know what was going on. We didn’t know that our government was being sold to the rich. We did not know that our own government would make laws to protect the rich and make them even richer. Ordinary people like us might not get a doctor or medicine or food or shelter when we need it. But the wealthy people would get whatever they wanted.
Speech was no longer free.
If you wanted to be heard, you had to buy space in a newspaper. You would have to buy an advertisement on the radio, on television, on billboards, on a website.
But some good politicians saw what was happening. They believed in the importance of democracy. They realized that some people were secretly trying to overthrow our government by buying our leaders. Those politicians who cared for us created new laws to protect us. They made laws that limited the amount of money a candidate could spend on getting elected. They did this so everyone might have a fair chance to be heard by the public, to share their ideas with the public, with you and me. They did this so every citizen might have the chance to lead this country, to help it stay strong.
Those good members of the United States Congress knew that real “free speech” does not just mean you have the right to speak – it means you have the right to speak to the public. It is a fair law. It does not promise that you will get to speak for free anywhere you want; but it did promise a fair limit on the amount the opponents could spend. This limit meant there would be fair time left for you to be heard.
These laws did make it possible for more people to try to get elected. It did a little bit to help preserve this democracy – the democracy that so many people gave their lives for two hundred and fifty years ago.
Now, just as we are about to celebrate that wonderful day when our democracy began, some traitors among us, right up to the Supreme Court, are currently stealing that last bit of free speech. They are taking away those limits on how much “air time” people can buy with all their wealth. Now, if a candidate has enough money, they can buy all the “air time” and keep every other opponent from telling you their story. Your right of free speech is worthless if someone else is allowed to pay enough money to keep you from ever being heard.
The truth is simple: If you don’t have enough money, your “free speech” is meaningless. It isn’t free at all if you opponent can pay enough money to block your free speech.
This week, the United States government and the Supreme Court have decided to take away “fair play”. They are giving a free pass to the bullies who can pay for it. If you cannot pay as much as some rich politician, then you have no chance to represent yourself, your family, your loved ones, your neighbors or your community. You have no way to tell all those voters out there what you have to offer them, why they should vote for you.
This week, the Supreme Court of the United States has decided that money is more important than democracy.
The Supreme Court has decided that you can have all the free speech you want. But you probably won’t have an audience to hear you. And voters will no longer have the right to hear all the candidates.
The Supreme Court has destroyed what our country’s forefathers gave their lives for.
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Please COPY & PASTE this on your own site if you believe it is important.
Why? Because this is one of the few places to share ideas without having to pay money. If this post is removed, it will prove that there is nowhere at all to freely reach a large audience.
Meanwhile, I will see if any periodicals care enough about democracy to pass this on.