Protected speech


       In the opinion article Is taking a knee protected speech? by Judge Andrew Napolitanos of Fox News, Napolitanos argues that "we are free to respect the flag and shun those who do not, but we may not harm a hair on their heads. In the final paragraph he quotes the french philosopher Voltaire, who when faced with people who had literally lost their minds, said,"I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." 
       Judge Andrews Napolitanos joined the fox news channel in January 1988 and currently serves as the senior judicial analyst. He is also the youngest life-tenured Superior Court judge in the history of the State of New Jersey. Because of this he has a strong knowledge of the laws of the country and the rights of the people. His intended audience gears toward people who are questioning the protests and if they are protected. He is very qualified for this article and gives a strong opinion.
       There is no question that how people act towards the flag will lead to a whole lot of controversy and offense. But no matter how much offense or anger this causes, people should still be allowed to freely express how they feel. I am not a fan of the protests, and I wish that people would stand and salute the flag normally. Protesting during the anthem, even with good intentions, gives off to many bad signals to people. It looks disrespectful to the country, the people who have fought for us, and the people who have gone before us. It causes confusion and division among people. Although the intentions are for the country to be unified, I wish they would protest and voice their opinion a different way. Taking a knee during the anthem is a great way to get attention, but I wish they would think of something else. 
       That being said, it does not matter what I think or how I feel about the situation. I am not going to agree with every single person and I will not like every protest. But isn't that the beauty of our country? That we can voice our opinion, no matter how crazy they may be. When players take a knee, they are protected and their protest can be made. However, Napolitanos does mention that if taking a knee effects the product of the team, than the speech is no longer protected. 
       I can not really state my opinion on this because the law is the law. If the players are not protected, than they can not take a knee. 
       However, I can state my opinion on if I like the law or not. Personally, I do not have a huge problem with this law. Freedom of speech should be protected until it begins to effect others negatively. For example, yelling fire in a theatre. As crazy as opinions can be, I am glad people have the right to say them.

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