You have the right to criticize your government and the officials who run it - without fear of being arrested and thrown in jail for the rest of your life.

In a democracy like ours, problems get talked about in the open so we can try to solve them. Doesn't always work that way but...that's the idea.

Freedom of Speech protections apply only to bitching about our government. It does not give you a right to spread lies about people or yell fire in a crowded theater - except when there really is a fire. You can't spray your graffiti on other people's property. Talking back to law enforcement personnel during a breathalyzer test - not recommended.

The Supreme Court says there are several kinds of protected speech.

For example, burning an American flag is "symbolic speech" and the Supreme Court is okay with that even though it makes people crazy. Congress tried to ban flag burning but the ban was - yep, you guessed it - unconstitutional.

You can also make a political statement by not speaking at all.

In 1968, two U.S. Olympic medalists gave a power salute during the National Anthem. Today a statue commemorating that moment sits on the campus of San Jose State University.

You're free to argue politics even when you don't  have a clue what you're talking about. Blah, blah, blah. In this great land of ours, you have a God-given right...to make a complete and total ass of yourself.