What do 2,390 dead American soldiers have to do with slightly irregular human beings who write letters to the editor? Everything. I dont find the war in Iraq funny. Much like sprinkles and The Grimace (the beloved purple friend of Ronald McDonald), the war in Iraq does not bring joy to my heart. I choose not talk about the war because there isnt anything I or we can do until the midterm elections. But when I hear statements such as This, of course, is my opinion, and god-given American right from said slightly irregular people, my stomach churns. God-given American right, huh? How often do we hear that crap on Ricky Lake?

We have all encountered someone in our lives that spew at the mouth offering little to anyone, but exercise their god-given right because they think the first amendment is a free pass to be an asshole. While I grant that God gave us many things, the freedom to express ourselves publicly was not one of them. We were given the ability to communicate, we were given the ability to think and believe what we want, but the right to express ourselves in the public forum without legal repercussion? God didnt give that to us. The framers of the constitution, drawing heavily on the work of John Locke, gave us that right.

Even with that right there are some things you cant say. You cant breach the peace by uttering words that will cause a rational person to beat the crap out of you. You cant libel someone by making false statements about them, you cant make obscene statements (good luck defining obscenity by the way), and you cant make statements that will immediately harm a lot of people. Even some of the people who granted us the beloved first amendment passed laws restricting seditious speech for a period of time. Throughout history weve seen limitations placed on our speech from the government during times of crisis. The first amendment is entirely a human project and subject to human behavior. If God gave us the first amendment, there wouldnt be anything wrong with it. Did you ever stop to think about how flawlessly your body, the earth, and the universe have to operate everyday in order to watch reruns of Seinfeld on TBS?

Our soldiers, your friends, neighbors, or family, die defending our ability to express ourselves in the public forum. Ill let that sink in for a minute. A soldier died to protect your right to blog about the boring, mind numbing differences between buying beers in your college town and buying it at home. A soldier died for your right to self-publish egotistical, self-serving statements that you made to your non-existent friends while you eat by yourself. A soldier died so you can pretend to speak for everyone in writing your holier-than-thou letters. Of course, arrogance is blinding, so Im willing to wager that for most people who write in offering criticism and no solutions every week, they dont stop to think about the high cost paid for their chance to be a jerk.

Aside from the few good people who write in to their newspapers with legitimate complaints and solutions, the rest of the pack is filled with gutless weirdos who take every chance they can get to tear other people, their community, and organizations down. I honestly feel these letters should not be run. If someone wants to bitch, let them cry about it in their livejournal. Newspaper editors today dont face the same ethical dilemmas their predecessors had. The newspaper is no longer the only medium for the public to discuss issues. Today if the public wanted they could start a blog, use a Pacman character to shield their identity, and bitch about loud conversations disrupting their dinner if they wanted to. Why should editors have to waste paper sharing that thought with customers who dont care? The public doesnt want to hear from arrogant loners who hold their community in contempt. They want ideas, they want community, and they want a constructive discussion that results in something. American Soldiers die to protect our right to express our opinion. The least we can do for those soldiers and their families is to respect what they died for.