While Sterling’s comments may be racist, we must question one thing. Where did freedom of speech in America go?

 By Staff Writer

LOS ANGELES (INTELLIHUB) — It’s now been reported that the NBA may fine Donald Sterling, owner of the Clippers basketball team, up to $1 million dollars for his recent racial outbursts.

Ben Balch, writing for the Los Angeles Times reported:

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is expected to announce a decision on Sterling’s punishment Tuesday morning in New York, hours before the Clippers play the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series at Staples Center.

Though provisions exist in NBA bylaws allowing owners to expel one of their members, Feldman said, they are limited to a financial inability to run a team, gambling on a team or game fixing.

Although bylaws dictate the NBA’s decision, some wonder if this highly published innocent may lead to something else.

For example, if I were to say something another person doesn’t like, should that set precedence for a common punishment throughout the nation? What kind of country do we live in if we are no longer free to express ourselves?

“The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble or prohibiting thepetitioning for a governmental redress of grievances. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, as one of the ten amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights.”, reads wikipedia.

Do I now have to question what I say in public? For example, if I were at a movie theatre with my girlfriend and said something a little too loud during the feature presentation, something that may be offensive to the person next to me, should I be punished or fined for the outburst?

Do you see where this is going? 50-years from now society may be so controlled, cameras everywhere, watching and listening to your every move, tracking your every keystroke. In fact they are basically doing this today. But what will happen when voice, face and gate recognition programs take over everything, issuing fines and or jail time.

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

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