A Clarification of The First Amendment

There is a common misconception in this country of late regarding The First Amendment's right to free speech.  The Founding Fathers believed that free speech was foundational in creating a truly free society, and rightly so.  As such, they included protection of that right in the very first amendment to The Constitution.  It was an incredibly insightful, and truly radical, decision and has been one of the defining aspects of many of the brightest, and darkest, moments in our country's rich history.  But let's be clear about some things.

First, while The Constitution protects every person's (and yes, I said person, not just those of the American variety) right to say whatever it is they want to say, it has been ruled, time and again, that it only protects speech as long as it doesn't incite violence or harm.

Second, and this is the one that other people seem to have a real issue with in the light of all this Chik-fil-a stuff, while everyone has the right to say, in any forum, whatever they want to say, to express any belief in whatever way they choose, it does NOT protect them from any repercussions that those words have. 

In other words, if you choose to speak out against something with which you take issue, you must accept that there will be those who disagree and that those actions may have consequences and that they have just as much a right to respond as you did to speak out in the first place.