My feeling about free speech can be summed up with a handful of quotes, two of them from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
"The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theater"
And
"Your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins".
Both of these illustrate that while people may feel free to express any utterance they will, there are dire consequences. You can, for example, give your opinion - but you can't lie in court under oath. If your wife asks if her dress makes her look fat, you can say "hell yeah" but be prepared for a fat lip. (There's only ONE response to this question - jump out the window. This includes instances where you are ten stories up, because believe me, falling ten stories is STILL better than what you'll face, otherwise).
Lastly - with regard to "free speech".
"Yes, we have free speech in Russia - what we don't have, is freedom AFTER speech" - Yakov Smirnoff, circa 1990.
Freedom of speech means that the GOVERNMENT cannot restrict your ability to say what you want about the government - it does not mean you can say whatever you want, say, in this forum - or in my house. Your first amendment rights only mean that the government possesses no right to abridge your speech - it by no means gives anyone the right to say whatever they want at any time, without consequence. NO ONE has that right.
And add "Except for wartime" The military should have the right to censor anything that comes out of the media during wartime that will endanger or cause to endanger troops, etc. And I say this only because the news media is too stupid to know what and what not to say.
