do we really have freedom of speech in america anymore and when did that end?

Answer 1

Yeah! You have Freedom of Speech...but only if it agrees with the "Political Agenda" of the day!

Answer 2

Right On wqfahuar!!
Along with any kind of freedom goes responsibility, accountability, judgment and decency. The freedom is still there, it's the other things that are lacking.
Ever heard the old saying--- Your right to swing stops at the end of my nose? Where speech is concerned, the same applies to the ears.

Answer 3

We don't have as much as we think we do. However we still have some. A prime example of this is when a woman went right up to Bill Clinton & told him what she thought of him & got thrown in Jail for it.

We also lost some of that Freedom when Bush passed the "Unwarented Wire Tap Bill". We are more & more often losing Freedoms that the Founders tried so hard to protect.

Another prime example of this is "political correctness". That is a very firm form of suppresion of "Free Speach". We need to stop being so politically correct if we are to survive as a nation.

We will soon lose All of our Freedoms if we don't act soon.

Thanks for the question. :)

Answer 4

I am not sure if this answers the question but jut an observation of an outsider:
It is very difficult/impossible to talk politics in US. It was a shock to me because we have always looked up to US as 'the democracy'. The illusion faded very quickly when I came here to study. In my country everybody takes active interest in politics, current affairs local, national or international. We are very comfortable talking about our views to anybody, even an unknow person standing next to us on the bus stop. My best freind can have the opposite political view and we might have a heated debate on it but still can be best freinds.

In US, talking politics is taboo. People get very uncomfortable very quickly, even in the university environment (which I thought would be different, it being devoted to intellectual pursuites). People are curteous to each other, always very politically correct and are very frightened of positive confrontations or real debate on an issue.

This definately is a sign of not having 'freedom of speech'. I dont know why this mentality, who is watching and what are the consequences of talking what one thinks. But it is a cultural thing - to keep everything at arms length, to think of others who do not share your exact political views as your enemies, being polite to people without really respecting each other's view.

Answer 5

Yes we have freedom of speech. But there are limits with all of our liberties. We have freedom of thought but when you verbalize that thought you have to pay the consequences for your words. When you cross the line there are consequences. Where is the line? When you invade the rights of others.

Quote:

"Freedom of speech or of the press does not mean unlimited permission to speak or write or print whatever one pleases. However unlimited may be one's right to his own opinions, he may, but uttering these, invade the rights of others, and this he has no right to do. He may not become a disturber of the public peace by inciting, through speech or print to sedition or public violence. He may not become a corrupter of morals by printing pestilential literature. He may not injure the good name of another by slander or libel. It may not be always easy to determine just when and where governmental interference should take place, but the principle is clear, that while every person may hold his own opinions without molestation from the government, any expression of these which interferes with the public freedom the public, through its government, has the right to put down."

Answer 6

There have always been problems with freedom of speech, but some of the worst institues that were pitted against citizens were established during the cold war era to sort out people that were "unpatriotic" or "communist sympathizers"

Answer 7

We have it but our elected representatives don't listen.Our liberal media does not listen.Our wealthy liberal celebrities do not listen.And young liberally indoctrinated people do not listen because they are so indoctrinated into liberalism.There's alot of hot air being pushed around by people who mostly like to hear themselves rather than listening to others.Listening is the forgotten art of good communication.Kids don't respect their elders like they once did,liberals taught them it.And we are less free because of it,believe me.They are taught to protest and shout down others instead of being taught to listen and be thoughtful and respectful of all view points and especially to their elders.Elders no longer correct young people.Instead young people correct their elders like a bunch of college,know-it-all hippies and stupid spoiled whores.We've become a society of Paris Hiltons.

Freedom has been perverted to mean "permission to be bad" and that is why society is in a shambles.

Answer 8

actually the question should have been, are we alowed the scope of knowledge to ponder ideas and questions and to speak in regard to that knowledge and ideas?. why is american education dumbing down the kids? why is there so much garbage on tv?, why is there no real news and only entertainment? becuase they have given you free speech to vomit up all the rubbish you have fed your selves with, its either that, or your told your a nut and you should'nt say those things, like for example 9/11 is an inside job, we are too preoccupied with the mainstream entertainment, than to have serious discusions and debates about the matter.

Answer 9

No. It ended on October 17, 2001 with the signing of the sardonically named USA Patriot Act.

Answer 10

we don't have freedom of speech anymore that was taken away a long time ago just like prayer in school
if you were to say you don't like president bush and you wanted to shoot him you will be arrested so fast it would make your head spin
THERE IS NO MORE FREEDOM OF SPEECH
this is one of many reason our fore fathers fought for this
and now it has been taken away