Let Freedom and Mean Words Ring...

I am one of the most vocal supporters of having a variety of information sources. Consequently, I have been very critical of business decisions that merge media companies and in turn dismantle or water down diverse opinions or perspectives. And while I do carry that banner and I detest any effort to censor speech, I submit something has got to be done about the wave of hate speech that masquerades as healthy commentary, news and information.

While unintended, the Internet has opened the door and granted legitimacy to this new realm of information exchange that is promoting hate and racism at a phenomenal pace. Formerly it was professional journalists who had the monopoly on a lot of the written word disseminated as news, commentary and information. These journalist aspired to follow a journalistic code of ethics. And wealthy media companies restrained by the possibility of a costly law suit for improper conduct provided the means to get messages out to large audiences.

Today that has changed with the unregulated and unrestrained worldwide web. Today there are individually launched and managed blogs, online radio and television stations and social media venues. Any Joe can now be his own news director and media company. This is compounded by the fact that it is hard for regular folks to tell the difference between the information disseminated responsibly by a legitimate news and information source and that which is not.

Not only has it given racist and other hate mongers a broad virtual platform from which to speak and recruit, it offers these cowards insulation from real world checks that ordinarily would stifle such bold intolerance. Once they have recruited a sizable PAC, they confidently step out of the shadow of virtual anonymity to become a self made media figure and leader of sorts.

I agree with the spirit in which Founding Fathers sought to create a nation that is not oppressive of it's citizenry and not corrupted by the ills of a powerful few intent on protecting their position and possessions. To that end, diversity of opinion and voice is priceless. Hence, freedom of speech like the right to assemble, to bear arms, the separation of power of government branches are all mechanism to guarantee just that. I even believe that people like Rush Limbaugh can be helpful in that some truths may not come to light without a loud voice of opposition. However, what was intended has been surpassed and perverted and is now doing more harm to our country then good.

In a July 2009 blog commentary featured on the Republican Free Republic Thread, the then 11-year-old Malia Obama was called "ghetto street trash." This was prompted by a photo featuring the now First Daughter sporting a t-shirt with a peace sign. Fueled by the same photo, another commentator poked, "wonder when she will get her first abortion?"

What is the benefit of that kind of rhetoric or in viciously criticizing a little girl. She was innocently sporting what she may have believed to simply be a cool t-shirt. Nothing more! How does such comments about her serve the tenements the Founding Fathers hoped our nation and citizens would die to preserve? Yet that is what has become of us in this the information age. What useful purpose would our Founding Fathers assign to such behavior. I'd venture to say none and that they would be as disgusted as I.

Forever now blurred is the line between healthy political rhetoric, hate speech and racism. Let freedom ring.