Freedom of Speech

               I probably never will be told to leave my country because someone disagrees with me, so I was hard put to define how freedom of speech affects me.  I started wondering how political correctness run amok affects freedom of speech. 

               In this society everyone seems quick to be offended by, or to file lawsuits over, any real or imagined slight. 

During the holidays we stop and think whether someone is going to be offended if we say “Merry Christmas.”  In the name of freedom of religion we seemingly attempt to remove anything religious from public life, including school.

Freedoms of speech and expression go hand in hand and are basic constitutional principles, but I fear they are eroded by censorship and book banning in some cases.  I can and do write material that might offend some people’s rigid notions of morality.  Fine, they’re free not to read it, but given the tone of these times, some wouldn’t leave it at that and would try to suppress what I say.   I haven’t dealt with them—so far.

We are wound up too tight and need more understanding and tolerance.  Those are ideals toward which our nation should strive.  That includes respect for the rights of those who are different from us, who have different opinions, who worship differently, who may have come from other nations.  Else what does the Statue of Liberty’s torch stand for?

We must realize, for example, that even though we have a presidential candidate spewing hateful and ever more shockingly offensive words, seemingly to test the limits of what he can get away with—he has every right to say what he wants.  If we open dialogue among our wonderfully diverse groups, that kind of speech will die the slow death it deserves.

Spring 1979

            The spring 1979 semester included Valerie's and Christopher’s first Valentine’s Day as a couple.  Val had never set much store by that day; Brian wasn't exactly Mr. Romance.  He avoided the L word, instead saying he liked her, that she “meant a lot” to him, or that he found their intimate moments special and exciting.  Chris stepped in as her big romance and made it the best Valentine’s ever, marking it by giving her a teddy bear, flowers and chocolates and taking her to dinner.
            Before they left for their meal, she gave him a card on the bottom of which she wrote Happy Valentine's to the one who makes all my dreamy poems and love songs reality.
            As he perused this, his eyes brightened and his face went soft, filled with affection, maybe even amazement.  When he spoke his voice sounded strained with emotion and his jaw tightened slightly.  "This is true?"
            "Of course it is."
            "Lord, girl, I love you so much too."  He enfolded her in his arms. 
            "I can try to move an audience with a song but your opinion matters most," he continued.  "I'll let you in on a secret:  You're the one on my mind when I play a love song."
            "Really?"
            "Absolutely.  Who else, darlin'?"
            "That's so sweet of you to say.  I needed to hear it."  Val was a little choked up, too.
            "That means a lot now that the band's hit something of a slump."  For the moment their only job was their early-Friday-night gig at a club back in Dallas, functioning mostly as a warm-up act for other bands.
            "That won't last long."  At least college jazz band kept him occupied and his skills sharp.
            He drew a card out of his coat pocket and handed it to her.  He'd written on it I never knew what Valentine's Day meant until I fell for you.
            Damn, boy, you are so getting lucky tonight, if you want, Val thought, smiling.
            Spring break was too short a time to rest her brain, and of course to see her boyfriend.  He even played two auditions during that time.
             But the term went by so quickly that a little time apart hardly mattered.  Amazingly, he fulfilled her fantasies in so many ways.  For now he was her perfect mate, everything she could possibly want.
              On Easter they accompanied their families to church.  She knelt next to Chris and recalled that once, troubled that her short relationship with Joel was a terrible mistake, she went to church to take communion and pray for forgiveness. Now she could hold her head up in church, and she could give thanks for his presence in her life.   Some people would say she and Chris did things only married people should do. Yet marriage seemed so unreal and far away; other parts of her life needed to come together first.  Their spiritual connection surely made it right... somehow their union was already blessed and they were meant for each other.

Past, Present, Future

When I first met you,

Love was something as yet undefined

Yet something I knew would be,

Something I saw in your eyes.

When love began to grow within me

What pain and joy I discovered all at once!

Waiting only for the time I'd spend with you

But still uncertain if you felt the same.

Terrified that my love was unrequited,

Fearful of revealing it

Even when we knew each other well.

Then came that special night

When you said you loved me too

And with love’s first kiss you showed me.

And on one dizzy, starlit summer night

We knew our minds and bodies couldn’t wait

Till we expressed our love.

Now each day brings bad and good things to share

And each night brings new ways to show my love for you.

No matter how often we love,

It’s still magical as the first time.

Sometimes I wonder if I’ll always feel the way I do.

We’re both people who learn and grow--

Will we grow away from each other?

Does love die when it grows old,

Or does it just mature?

No matter what the future brings

I know we have something wonderful now.

I can't believe that anything would ever part us.

But if that should happen,

Let it not be with hatred and remorse.

Most people never know in a lifetime

All the love and laughter we've already shared.

Let's not take it for granted.