[brianwspencer]

Originally Posted by joeydb

They are not confused. You are confused. By your definition, a person speaking out in Saudi Arabia shouldn't be surprised by getting his head cut off, paraphrasing, as a "consequence he receives for speaking out."

The reason that right is there in the first place (literally) is to guarantee that there would be no consequences from the government associated with the speech itself.

If you want to speak in abstract and theoretical terms about how the government might be overthrown or what the weaknesses are, you are free to do so. The individual making the analysis might actually be trying to help the government close up the holes in its defenses. However, it is of course an act of treason to actually try to overthrow the government.

You can scream at the top of your lungs how ridiculous and oppressive the tax code is, but if you actually do not pay your taxes, that is the crime of Tax Evasion.

Oh, duh, the government does not have a parental relationship with its citizens, so it's not like your example at all. This is government by consent of the governed, not parenting by the consent of the parented.

Excellent comparison.