Although the First Amendment is not absolute and there are some restrictions on freedom of speech and expression, it must be truly acknowledged that the citizens of the United States enjoy the greatest freedoms of speech and expression that can…
Florida’s harsh mandatory minimum drug sentencing hurts all involved parties
The hysteria over drugs in the 1980s was fueled by media coverage, Nancy Reagan’s Just Say No campaign and the DARE program. The era produced law after law regarding drug use and trafficking. One of these was the mandatory minimum sentencing…
Halloween costumes and the First Amendment
Every November, post-Halloween news stories begin to circulate the media and offensive Halloween costumes are a consistent theme of these reports. This year, we’ve seen such costumes as Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman, the World Trade Centers, and James Holmes,…
For America we Fight! aka Americans fighting each other.
As long as their have been nations, governments have been sending their sons and sometimes daughters off to war, to fight for the country. Most of the combatants were conscripts forced into battle by threat of death of the government…
Daniel Aaronson Has Become Chairman
The law firm of Benjamin, Aaronson, Edinger & Patanzo, P.A. is pleased to announce that managing partner Daniel Aaronson is now the Chairman Emeritus and immediate past president of the First Amendment Lawyers Association (FALA). The First Amendment Lawyers Association is a prominent, nationwide…
America and racism, it’s a grey area
Last month a new Miss America was crowned. Unlike many of her predecessors, she did not have blond hair, or blue eyes, or creamy white skin. Rather her skin was darker, her hair was dark and her family had moved…
7 dirty words. “F-Word you” to Government censorship
Last month James Benjamin was invited to participate in a debate on an internet talk show. Unfortunately, he could not accommodate the time schedule so I had to stand in and take his place. The topic of the debate was…
Antonio Morrison, The Gator that barks like a dog!
Last month University of Florida starting middle linebacker, Antonio Morrison, was arrested for barking at a police dog. Within days, the video of the arrest and comments about the incident were national news. Fortunately, the state attorney’s office in Alachua…
The war on our freedoms
When George Orwell wrote the famous “1984″ where “big brother” (government) had cameras to watch everything you did, although political, it was also science fiction. The realities of such an endeavor at the time seemed mind boggling and that a…
Sticks and stones break bones but Symbols never hurt me
Freedom of Speech does not only protect the spoken word, but it also protects what has been termed “symbolic speech”. Probably the greatest example of symbolic speech is the extension of the middle finger while all other fingers are tucked…