Taken For Granted: Freedom Of Speech

The obligatory link: Egypt blogger jailed for insulting Islam

Living in the free world, it's so easy to forget that things like this can and do happen. Think about it. I'm fully capable of holding forth on just about any topic in this space, short of such things as calling for physical violence against people (and beyond that, anything I may not be able to conscience personally). But at the same time, half a world away, a man is being jailed for doing essentially what I do here... weighing in with my own opinion on topics of interest.

In addition to any kind of an outcry we can raise on the issue of Egypt's appalling behavior, I'd ask that we, both bloggers and readers, keep this in mind: We have this freedom, and others like it, because those who came before us fought and died for it, and because many now still do. Being able to say what you think may be one of the most undervalued freedoms we have going, but consider for just a minute what it would be like to lose it. After that, ask yourself the following question:

If an Islamic country is willing to jail one of its own citizens for speaking his mind, what do you think will happen if we fall under the rule of their laws here in the west?

What we stand to lose is dearer to us than we realize, and the possibility that we will lose it grows every time we turn our backs.