Blog Post #3 ~ 8 values of free expression
8 Values of Free Expression
There are 8 values of free expression. They are marketplace of ideas, participation in self government, stable change, individual self-fulfillment, check on government powers, promote tolerance, promote innovation, and protect Dissent. Jefferson, Maddison and other founders saw to that we have the right to free speech. It is important to say what you are thinking even if it is about the government. In the USA you can talk bad about the government and not have to deal with a "king" chopping your head off.
When I think of Freedom of speech today I think of Elon Musk. He is the voice of free speech and non-censorship in todays world. He remade twitter into X and made the app so that you can say whatever you like and you will not get banned for saying what you think is correct or morally right. Elon doesn't want the little guys opinion that isn't a popular thing to say to be censored and told "you can't say that". It is important I'm America that we receive all of the information and not just the information that certain parties want us to hear. America was built on the idea that you can speak you mind without consequence. Of course there is certain things you cannot say. For example you can't say you are going to kill the president.
One of the 8 values that resonate with me is promote innovation because of Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley has been a major hub for all technological innovation. This convention is for entrepreneurs to speak freely and exchange ideas. Entrepreneurs can freely share ideas and experiment without excessive government interference or fear of censorship. There are giant companies that took risks and steered away from social norms to create new radical ideas. Without risk takers like this we wouldn't have companies like Apple, Google, and Tesla.
Another one of the 8 values that I will be sharing is check on governmental power. The relationship between check on governmental powers and the freedom of expression has been and always will be a central building block to American democracy. James Madison and Thomas Jefferson realized that a free society could only function if the society had the right of free speech. Free speech is just another way that the people can stand up to the government and check the governments power. If the people of the Untied States of America feel that the government has too much power they can speak out against it and hopefully get the governments power checked and then balanced.
There is one time that comes to mind that I believe that we talked about in class that is Watergate. This is when Richard Nixon attempted to use executive privilege to withhold tapes that were crucial in the investigation of the Watergate scandal. This was also known as United States v. Richard Nixon.
The check in this instance was the Judiciary court stepping in to check the executive branch's power. In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court that Nixon must comply and bring the tapes forward. The court argued that the president's claim of executive privilege could not override the courts decision. This is a clear example of the judicial system working for the people.
The balance was that the Supreme Court ruled that no one is above the law not even the president. This reenforced the idea of checks and balances even more. Nixon "complied" which lead to his resignation. Although the tapes were never seen the judicial process worked and the idea of checks and balances worked.
