442 - How free should speech be?

There is a lot of talk about freedom of speech these days.

So many people are waiting to see what move Elon Musk will make at Twitter.

The Wikipedia definition says: Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction.

I can get behind that.

When we get into the actual words written in the Constitution and the water get muddy.

"Articulating their opinions and ideas..."

Must we accept, without question, everything and anything that comes out of peoples mouths?

Should people be allowed to say whatever they want, when ever they want, to whom ever they want, how ever they wish to say it?

Does this mean profanity and obscenities are acceptable?

Before jumping to conclusions, let's take a deep breath.

This is not a brief discussion with one word answer, finished and done.

There will be as many viewpoints and opinions as there are people.

Common Sense is no longer common, often making it difficult to discuss subjects of such depth in an open forum.

There are too many politically charged people who can't, or won't, engage in such discussions without making it about their political beliefs.

But there is hope...

If Elon Musk does take over Twitter and opens it to freedom of speech, there is hope he might also put the message limit back to 140 characters.

I like that because people must choose their words more carefully.

The best advice is still, think before you speak.

How free should speech be?