A Soldier's Burden

Although our last class session did not last long, an interesting discussion was started that I thought I could add to now. 

As asked, are the rules for a soldier concerning free speech different than those of the civilian? 

As discussed, they are. As asked, should they be.....

I think this is a tricky question. To become a soldier contracts are signed and oaths are taken stating that you vow to live as directed. I think this makes the soldier a different breed of person. I do not feel basic training is all about learning how to fight, but learning what it takes to fight. the military does not just train, it modifies. I believe this is why some soldiers have a hard time transitioning back to civilian life. 

Unfortunately, as part of the modifications, when it comes to free speech, it is no longer speak what you believe is right, it is fight or flight. It is the soldier's unfortunate burden to have to decide if they need to express free speech, especially if it is against the government.

Is this right, should the rules for soldiers and their free speech be this complicated?! I would like to say no, it is not right, but as far as I know in military life free speech is only one of many rights that are given up. Like chapter 2 in Outspoken, asking for rights is an all or nothing choice for the soldier. What would you choose? 

Abolitionists who made similar points

 Wednesdays class discussions illustrated to me that it is not always that actions speak louder than words, but that actions can speak as loud as the words. Especially when someone like Sojourner Truth speak. 

I noticed a running theme expressed by different abolitionists and I wondered if anyone else noticed this:

In the Sojourner Truth handout we were given in class she expresses that she is a women, although she has never been treated in the way women supposedly are.

In the powerpoint we were shown, Angelina Grimke I felt made a similar point about being a slave, resonating the idea that slaves are humans, although they are not treated the way humans supposedly are.

Awareness of History

The current topics of our class discussions all sprout from the history of how Free Speech came to be a right in the first place. I think it is interesting to look at the fight put up then  and how similar it is to ours today. Even more so I find it interesting to think about why free speech is a right. In class we had to look back, and put our minds at a period of time we are not very familiar with to look into the reasons why and how free speech was amended into the constitution. 

 Putting yourself back in time and as either an elite, lower class, or woman of that period, what do you think you would have thought about free speech being added? Would you have agreed or not agreed? 

Learning How to use free speech

I feel I have a lot to learn about free speech, and because of this I almost do not feel I should speak up yet. While there are issues today that I agree and disagree with, I have a hard time picking a few or any to really advocate for. I hope that this class will be able to open my eyes more to how free speech is effectively used and that I will become motivated to speak up about issues. 

As for the first reading in HCOM 310,  I felt like there was almost too much information given at once leaving the point almost buried. Despite that, I think the sequence of events made it clear that practicing free speech when working for the government is an action with unknown consequences. I think Rick Nuccio stumbled into things he did not expect to and took action to protect himself  because he did not want to be seen as a lier. It is written in the first few pages of his story that he knew that there were secrets, and he knew why secrecy was need, but he also knew that, as it is written, "... secrecy aligned with power invites abuse." and he was not really prepared to be apart of that. 

It is said that even secrets between friends are not kept forever, should Nuccio have expected to one day find himself a secret keeper when he started working for the government?