Freedom of speech has to come with responsibility

The notion of any free society lies within the foundation of a free people and, subsequently, the freedom of the press and of speech.

A liberal society such as ours must have the proliferation of free thought -- especially because so much emphasis is placed on individuality.

But what exactly is "free speech?" Is it the right to say whatever one wants? Is it the freedom to speak, or the freedom to speak only what is "correct?"

The Western democratic answer, of course, is to be able to freely say whatever you want.

However, it seems as if the real definition of free speech is being ignored. Free speech is not the right to say whatever one pleases just for the sake of controversy and be absolved of all consequences resulting from the speech.

Free speech means responsibility.

For example, when Danish papers published cartoons of the Muslim prophet Muhammad wearing a turban with a bomb in it, they refused to accept any responsibility for offending an entire religion and instead retreated upon the shield of "free speech."

An apology probably would have sufficed, but instead the papers and the Danish government used free speech as a political tool to absolve themselves of any wrongdoing.

For the same reason, I cannot go around swearing and calling people the "N-word" and expect to get away with it. Journalists and other forms of speech and print cannot recklessly do whatever they want without consequence.

Hence, it is necessary that the government does not try to define free speech.

When the Supreme Court ruled in Dennis v. United States (1951) that free speech could be prohibited if "it presented a clear and present danger to overthrow any government in the United States by force or violence," it made a huge mistake. There is no need to define something the government has no right or ability to define.

If someone is threatening to overthrow the government of the United States, it is not their free speech that should be limited. Instead, it is their malicious physical intent to overthrow the government and commit treason that should be punished.

Therefore, there should not be any governmental regulations on speech at all. People have to deal with the consequences of their speech, whether it has to do with treason or yelling "fire" in a crowded theater.