We humans communicate mostly through speech and the written word. It is how we are able to co-exist as efficiently as we do. We rely on the veracity of our statements in order to be able to express our thoughts and actions as fact. When we are able to express ourselves with truth, then the logic of our thoughts and actions can be verifiable and then co-mingled with other similar thoughts and actions to build and create new and helpful insights. It is how our society has been able to advance into our futures within democratic ideals. We are at our best and most efficient when the validity of our language is commonly understood. Where the problem comes in is when the words of some things are not truths but instead lies or distortions. We protect the right of our citizens to tell the truth, except of course in the few instances where harm is an imminent outcome of a particular truth telling, such as in judicial proceedings, but here in America we also protect lying as a right guaranteed under the first amendment. How we came to allow such a farce to exist since the founding of our country is disconcerting. We have had adjustments to our first amendment right of free speech, such as no yelling fire in a crowded theater when there is no fire, so fixing or updating our constitutional rights when needed has precedent. By protecting the right to lie, our US Supreme Court Justices have given license to those petty individuals who have the power and wealth to subvert the truth, hence making our national discussions confusingly irrational and chaotic, with little to no natural advancement attainable. The time has come for a truth distinction in the first amendment and the end of lying as protected communication.
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