Infringe on Rights

I am writing tonight to ask a question:

When is it right to infringe on the freedoms that we are granted by the Constitution?  When are we, the people, willing to give up a certain freedom for a better society?

I really want to know.  This question keeps me thinking quite a bit.  We seem willing to give up some privacy rights for security as the Patriot Act had proven.  Almost no one would argue that freedom of speech is not sufficient enough to protect those people who deal in kiddie porn.  Where is that line?

We choose to criminalize people who make threats.  It is illegal and the argument is simple to understand.  Yes, free sheep should allow you to tell someone that you want to kill them, but by doing so we are infringing on that person's right to exist without a constant fear of being murdered.  Okay, makes sense.

There is an issue that came up recently where I really want to agree in principle, but in practice, we have opened the floodgates to the what may be the greatest miscarriage of democracy since the 2000 election, and that is the Supreme Court setting a new legal precedent in what large companies may spend on political campaigns. 

The sky's the limit now! 

For some reason, citing freedom of speech, the Republican Supreme Court decided that the people no longer need any form of truth in politics.  The people will now be flooded with ads for the candidates that only the largest companies want you to see.  It has been shown that almost always, without fail in today's world controlled by media and advertising, that the candidate with the most monetary backing tend to win the elections.  That means that now the good guys, the people who want to serve the public out of honesty and belief in the amazing document that is the constitution lose.  Why even fight anymore?!  Why donate 10 bucks to Joe Shmoe's campaign because the other guy, the career politician has the backing of Altria or Disney or GE or Google or whomever and most of the companies do not want people in power that care.  The masses lost a huge decision and I applaud our President in his State of the Union speech for ripping the Supreme Court over it.  They failed us, the faceless masses that make up most of the U.S.  John "Whitewash" Roberts and Samuel "Hypocrite" Alito (Along with Scalia and that idiot Justice Thomas) do not give one fuck about the spirit of a law or the meaning behind an amendment.  They are bought and sold just like the politicians.  I am going to miss the great Justice John Paul Stevens when he finally retires.  If anyone wants to learn something, read his opinion on this ruling that count be found here.

It sickens me when I see what has happened to the people on this country.  After eight years of a moron running our country into the ground, his legacy still lives strong in his choices for the highest court in the land.  Shame on you.  I wish we lived in a world where we would not have to regulate companies.  I wish we lived in a country where we would not have to have laws protecting the masses, the consumers, the voters because people and companies would regulate themselves, but as we have seen time and time again this does not happen and probably will not happen as long as capitalism rules all and as long as humans with there endless greed continue to run it. 

This happened in the same week as the loss of the great Air America radio shows.  Whether or not you agreed with them, as least it was another side of the coin from the psycho fundamentalists that rule radio airwaves now.  An hell, at least the most extreme of the liberals on there were way more reasonable than the extreme, oh, I am looking for the right word here...douche bags?  Hate Mongers?  Nazis?  that control the airwaves now.

I am sorry, I do not like resorting to name-calling, but I am so frustrated right now with everything.  The one shining light was the President's speech the other night.  I know he will not get to do everything that this country needs him to do, but at least for the first time in many years I can believe that we are in good hands and that he honestly will make thoughtful decisions based on what he honestly believes is good for America.  Whether or not you agree, it is at least uplifting to feel that someone in power actually cares about people and our future history.