Why should Freedom of Speech be extended to persons who use it to advocate destruction of that freedom for others?

Freedom of speech has to mean exactly what it says.  When the government was established in the United States our forefathers took careful consideration to prevent the abuses that had been experienced by life in England through the King's laws.  When one begins to try and determine what constitutes the right to be spoken, one is taking that right away from individuals that have opposing thoughts.

With the above thought in mind, let us look at the Vietnam War.  Many Americans were in support of the political move to enter into the war.  However, as the war progressed and many of our soldiers were maimed and killed, protestors began to speak out against the war.  At fist many were shunned or even sprayed by water when they protested.  However, because of freedom of speech they were aloud to have their say even if it was not initially the majority thought.  Later, of course, it helped to bring an end to America's involvement in war.

An important part about freedom of speech is that one person can not decide what is appropriate to speak out about.  One person’s point of view is not going to be another person’s point of view.  In order to protect the right, all men must be allowed to speak out freely even if the words are not always appropriate and may be hurtful.

In pre-Holocaust Germany, the Nazi party collected people who spoke out against the government.  Had more people not been afraid to speak up then the atrocities that occurred might not have happened.

On a negative note, black people were denied the right to speak out for so long and had to go to great lengths to have the right to the same freedoms granted to white people.  At the time an entire nation of people watched in horror as many black people took to the streets to advocate for their rights.  The black people were not the majority and their trying to obtain their own rights was not the popular thing to do at the time, but without their stepping forward to gain those rights, they would not have had the opportunity to progress and would have continued to be a separate part of a society in which they have contributed so many great things.

Freedom of speech is a responsibility as much as it is a right.  It is the responsibility of ensuring that people continue to be allowed to serve all people whether one believes in what they say or not.