I honestly never, in this country, thought I would say this, but I am so damn sick of hearing about free speech. Especially in defense of the indefensible. And I don't mean just mean legally, although that is what has become the issue, but morally as well.
But then morals seem to have gone the way of the dinosaurs, extinct. Or maybe the way of bigfoot, just really, really good at hiding.
Here's the thing, free speech is a right. And a privilege. It is not an excuse. It was never meant to be a green light to deliberately harm others. You cannot just say anything, any time and any place. Ask E. Jean Carroll.
There is a line, and you cannot cross it. If you do, there are consequences (I refer you, again, to E. Jean Carroll). But unfortunately, so many lies have been told, and so publicly, with consequences that either never come, or are so slow in coming that they are after the intended harm has successfully been done, that the flood gates have opened and the lies are flowing.
But, it seems, we are all about to learn a valuable lesson about what is and isn't free speech. Or bear witness to those who use free speech as a pretext to harming others (or harming all of us) learning what we already know.
'Cause it turns out all speech is not free. Some can end up being rather costly.
And the ability, both morally and legally, to discern between what is and isn't free speech can really be described in one word: maturity.
Since, apparently, a great number of our politicians never achieved that skill, I guess we need to lay it out for them. To avoid jeopardy, legal and/or financial, I thought I'd give the members of a certain political party cult, a quick tutorial. A list of a few infractions they haven't tried but, as they continue to push the confines of the absurd, could well be contemplating:
~ You cannot hide in a congressional bathroom stall, jump out and yell "boo," as people unzip.
~ You cannot walk into a busy restaurant and yell "cockroach."
~ You cannot tell a flight attendant that you're thinking of hijacking the plane.
~ You cannot chop down your neighbor's tree and tell him that George Washington did it.
~ You cannot tell someone with allergies that there are no peanuts in that cake.
Peanut Butter & Jelly Cake
~ You cannot walk into a colleague's office with a gun and say you're the police requiring a strip search.
~ You cannot walk into an operating room with a knife and say you're a surgeon.
~ You cannot commandeer someone's car, no matter how important you tell them your business is.
Not to end on a negative note, here is something you can say: you can stand up in a court of law and say "I plead guilty."
{{hint, hint}}
Peanut Butter & Jelly Cake
©www.BakingInATornado.com
6 TBSP crunchy peanut butter
2 TBSP oil
1/3 cup strawberry preserves
1 box strawberry cake mix
1 cup milk
4 eggs
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
2 TBSP peanut butter
5 tsp milk
2 TBSP strawberry preserves
OPT: peanuts for topping
Directions:
*Grease and flour a bundt pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
*Grease and flour a bundt pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
*Whisk together 6 TBSP of the peanut butter, the oil, and 1/3 cup of the strawberry preserves. Add the cake mix, 1 cup of the milk, and the eggs. Beat for 2 minutes.
*Pour evenly into the prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes, until the top springs back to the touch.
*Allow the cake to sit in the pan for 10 minutes before running a knife around the edges and removing. Cool to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator until cooled completely.
*Whisk together the remaining peanut butter, the remaining milk, and 2/3 cup of the powdered sugar (it will be thick), Drizzle over the top and partially down the sides of the cake. Return to the fridge.
*Whisk together the remaining strawberry preserves, 5 tsp water, and the remaining powdered sugar (this will be thinner). Drizzle over the top and down the sides of the cake. Top with peanuts if desired. Refrigerate to set before slicing.
*Store leftovers in the fridge, bring just barely up to room temperature to serve.
