(1) Freedom of speech is very important. It gives us the freedom to voice our opinion and speak what is on our mind. Does the freedom go "too far"? Maybe at times it does. When people speak to freely about a subject or about a person, it can cause a lot of grief or even ruin the reputation that people carry. I think the fighting words doctrine should not be protected. When you are in a heated conversation and one of you say something that makes the other mad...you should be able to fight it out. If you don't want to fight, don't open your mouth.

(2) Separation from church and state is very necessary. I am Baptist but have many friends who are of different religions. We don't always see eye to eye. Freedom of religion is a very important thing. There are many religions and different beliefs in the world. We should have the freedom and right to be able to choose the way we believe. If we didn't have that freedom, there would probably fighting or even war in our nation, like over seas.

(3) Defendant's rights are crucial to our system. We should have the rights necessary for what we are facing. If we were just at the wrong place at the wrong time, it would be unfair to get the same punishment as those who were guilty. I don't think defendants have too many rights. They should have every means necessary to prove they are innocent. Evidence never lies, but they should still get a fair chance.

I commented on: William Richardson, Ian Price, & Brandi Lively