Quote:
Originally posted by smooth
onetime2,
You read me correctly, I was distinguishing between individuals and government entities.
People do have the right to be heard by the government--that's the point of having free speech. Free speech without a commensurate right to be heard by our government (who's sole responsibility is to respond to the needs and demands of its population) would be a pretty silly right to possess.
Individuals, on the other hand, do not have an obligation to address the demands and needs of other citizens--they possess their own rights to conduct their own affairs wihout molestation.
This is why I draw a distinction between the two. I see the Bill of Rights as a contract between the people and a new form of government they were creating--not a document governing relations between citizens. That should be left to the local government agencies, which are closer to their constituents and better able to represent individual needs and demands.
BTW, I feel the protestors have a right to be heard by the President. He has an obligation to hear their appeal.
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Thanks for clarifying. Do you think this is the way it is now, or the way it "should" be? If it's the latter, that might be an interesting topic for it's own thread. If it's the former, I have to say I disagree.
Free speech currently applies beyond just voicing oposition (or support) for government. Protests occur against/for corporations, private groups, and private individuals all the time. So long as it doesn't cross the line into libel, you can say what you want about anyone/anything in the US right now.
I don't feel protesters have a "right to be heard" by the President. It doesn't spell that out in the Constitution and they certainly have other methods of voicing their opinions to the President beyond pickets and protests (still there's no guarantee that they'll be heard). They can write letters, get petitions together, take out ads in newspapers & magazines, and, of course, not vote for him when he's up for re-election.