Freedom of Speech/Press is only acceptable as long as it’s not heard

Have you heard about the case where this teenage girl from Burlington High (CT), Avery Doninger posted on her LiveJournal that her schools “Jamfest was canceled due to the douchebags in central office” and the school denied her being the class secretary and speaking at her graduation? Well, it was in the Advocate recently! The court apparently sided with the school, saying that it was like “she shouted ‘douchebag’ in a crowed theater.”(Hartford Advocate, 5/5/08 pg7) However, I find this be just another limitation of freedom of press and speech. I bet if I went to a theater and yelled out “DOUCHEBAG” at the top of my lungs people would just ignore me and keep walking or look at me like I'm some sort of idiot, and nothing would happen. Besides that, LiveJournal is a bloging spot where it’s shared with friends. The court said that her “blog post ‘created a foreseeable risk of substantial disruption’” (Hartford Advocate). What disruption? SO a teen called central office douchebags, I do believe that she’s allowed to vent, and I bet she’s not the first or last person to call them that. I suppose if I agree with her statement I might receive the same treatment? Fat chance. This also has a ring of ageism to it too. However somehow, I think I’ve stirred off course.

Ah, yes, Freedom of Speech and Press. The “Freedom” we supposedly have, that is only if it’s not heard. Avery in only one of quite a few great examples where the law has limited this “right” (if we can call it that a “right” anymore), and I think we, the people, should do something about it. American is supposed to be run by the people, so why not run our country? NO one ever got into the history books by behaving and I don’t recall the world ever changing with a smile, which came to think of it, the world has come to be change by many frowns and tears (and arrests). I think something does have to be done, limiting freedom of speech and press goes not only against the first amendment, but also against why the USA was created. The whole point of America was to be free and say what we wanted how we wanted, so why are we regressing from it? It makes no sense to me. Although I’d love to write a whole essay on this subject, I think I’m going to let it stop (temporarily) here. I think I’m gonna do some more research on it, then post it here. But until I report back on “Freedom of Speech/Press is only acceptable as long as it’s not heard”, I’ll leave you with some food for thought, if every time someone speaks their mind freely (weather appropriate or not) they are prosecuted for it, what type of future does that lead to? How would you deal with not being able to express yourself freely? And where would be the “Freedom”?