Too Much Freedom of Speech?

Has freedom of speech gone too far?

There's currently a labor dispute between workers and hotels in San Francisco, and the hotel workers are picketing the hotels. They're marching and carrying signs, chanting and doing anything they can to attract attention.

But it's more than that. They blow whistles, bang drums, make as much noise as they can. They make it difficult for patrons of the hotels to sleep or enjoy their stay. I think that's going too far.

The 1st Amendment was meant to keep the government from squelching the rights of the people to assemble, to speak against the government, to print and distribute flyers. It was not meant to guarantee a right to any speech, any place, any time.

I have nothing against the hotel workers marching and carrying signs, or even chanting and singing. That's their right of expression. Once they start banging drums and disturbing patrons, I think they've exceeded the limits of their freedom. You can't yell fire in a theater, and you can't come inside my house and yell at me while I'm eating (assertions of telemarketers to the contrary). Banging drums isn't freedom of speech, it's disturbing the peace. I don't understand why the police don't arrest them.

But that's just me.


Blog Tag: Opinion