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You can say what you want

By Merrill Ogden - | Jan 22, 2025

Merrill Ogden

As a public service, and as a reminder, the next paragraph is the First Amendment to the United States Constitution in its entirety:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances”

The freedom of speech part is what I’ve been thinking about lately. There seems to be so much free speech going on these days.

Freedom of speech allows us to speak our opinions freely without fear of government retribution. We don’t have to keep our frustrations to ourselves. We can voice our opinions when something, someone, or the government, grates and grinds at us. It’s not every country in the world where this is possible. People who voice their opinions disappear and are never heard of again in some places of the world.

Of course, these days, social media, like Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), have given everyone and their dog a megaphone to shout out their opinions. A person can go from total anonymity to national media attention very quickly if the circumstances are right.

At this writing, on the eve of President-Elect Trump’s inauguration, I’m remembering back eight years ago. At that first President Trump swearing in ceremony, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, as it was called then, performed “America the Beautiful.” This time, country music star Carrie Underwood will sing that same beloved song. She’s a wonderful performer.

Speaking of speaking one’s mind and going from anonymity to national attention, something happened eight years ago. That’s when a female member of the Tabernacle Choir chose to speak out and quit the choir. She was opposed to the choir participating in the President Trump inaugural.

Evidently, she felt strongly enough about her opposition to use her freedom of speech and got lots of attention. She said something about that she would never be able to look at herself in the mirror again if she had to perform for Donald Trump. She had a right to her opinion and she stated it. I presume that she has gone on with her life with no regrets. I can’t seem to find out any more about her now with the passage of time.

As far as looking in mirrors goes, the reason I look at myself is to see if there’s any way possible to improve what seems to be an ever-deteriorating image reflected. And, I have to say that I’d have a hard time looking myself in the mirror if I sang at a presidential inauguration — or anywhere in front of a big crowd. It’s not a moral issue with me. It’s a matter of embarrassment.

In the face of that though, if invited, I believe I would sing at any presidential event, or preferably the Super Bowl — if, and only if, it was a duet with Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, or as a distance third, Michael Bublé. Any news gathering agency is welcome to pass this, my willingness and availability, along to the rest of the nation, if they feel it’s newsworthy.

Relative to mirrors and Donald Trump, I actually wonder how he’s built up the stamina and courage to be able to look at himself in the mirror. This has nothing to do with singing or moral issues. This is all about that hair. That’s one of my challenges of looking in mirrors — trying to get that dang “cow lick” in my hair to stay down.

President Trump is no stranger to free speech rights. He has an opinion about most everything. He isn’t afraid to speak his mind and let the “chips fall where they may.”

Prior to becoming president, his views, as I see it, were not as significant as they are now. As president, his opinion carries weight and we should pay attention as to what the effects might be on us as citizens, good, bad or indifferent.

This brings up the related question, why do people care so much about what non-political famous people and celebrities think and say about issues? It’s what I sometimes call “The Kardashian Conundrum.”

Kim Kardashian has more than 75 million followers on X (#13 ranking). As far as I can determine, her fame is based primarily on her celebrity lifestyle. And, of course, also, largely (no pun intended, or maybe intended), on her famously publicized posterior. (I went to a thesaurus and chose “posterior” from dozens of options available for that particular anatomical feature.)

When Kim speaks out on the issue of body acceptance, I believe she may have some credibility. But when she speaks out on other issues, which she, of course, has the right to do, I’m not as inclined to feel like her opinions have any more validity than any ordinary Sanpeter.

I guess my point here is that whether we agree or disagree with someone’s opinions, we should be grateful that we live in a place where our opinions can be spoken, written, printed and electronically distributed. If we disagree, we can simply ignore. Or, we have the right and the means to speak our own minds just like anyone else.

And sometimes, it would be smarter if we just kept our mouths shut and our social media accounts quiet. When it came to sensitive issues, my dad used to say, “Least said, easiest mended.” (The real Dickens’ quote says, “soonest mended.”)

Someone else used to say, “Engage your brain before you open your mouth.” Those old adages are becoming forgotten principles I’m afraid. — Merrill