Free Speech?

There was a Supreme Court ruling in 2011 that still bothers me. It stated that the extremist Baptist church in the midwest had the right to picket a military funeral, because of the first amendment.

We are so far away from where the forefathers of this country intended us to be, it's sad really. We have out-smarted our own common sense. Let me site three issues which I believe demonstrate how far away we have drifted from where we began as a country, and a people.

First, the one at hand. Do we have total free speech? No. Try speaking your mind with "colorful metaphors" in the middle of a court room during a judge's ruling, and let me know if you don't end up detained for the evening. Can you speak up during a high school class without ending up in the principles office?  Of course not. Why is this? Because we would be a ridiculous, uneducated mob if we could. Order is important. My point is, how can you recognize the importance and/or sanctity of a classroom, or a court room, and not a funeral? That our "Supreme" Court does not immediately see the need to send this extremist group packing to the hills with this ridiculous need to publicly hate others is a frightening and ridiculous thing. (And make no mistake, they do hate others. Jesus would never take any actions like they do, and that should really be a sign to us, and them.)

Secondly, the second amendment, has been stretched far beyond it's original intention. We needed this because the English tried to keep us from being able to protect ourselves against them. Therefore, we have for ourselves the right to form militia - to band together, and arm ourselves for the need of protection. Now it's become this ridiculous attempt to arm ourselves with well beyond what is reasonable or necessary, for purposes of recreation. This law is now arming our criminals, arming our confused and deranged children who terrorize their own classmates, and is being used mainly as a crutch for gun companies to keep profits as high as possible. It is not my suggestion to remove the amendment, but rather, to ask the question as to whether some degree of restriction wouldn't be wise?

The last observation I will make is that the founding fathers had no intention of gaining wealth through public office. These were already wealthy men who felt it their civic duty to serve. That is obviously a far cry from today, where our public "servants" are paid very well with guaranteed salaries for life after serving a single term. Paid benefits for life, and automatic raises each year for inflation, are only a couple of the lasting benefits they experience. When I hear them discuss how they look at the founding fathers for guidance, I can't help but quietly suggest "try working for free." I think the time when our government was for the people is long since over. It is evident in many ways that our power as "the people" has greatly diminished, as it seems that we have a government that is there largely to please itself.

Just thinking out loud.