Our Constitution, that "all-inclusive" 1st Amendment ... reminds me of "One Nation Under God. Indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for All."

that's strange - confusing the constitution w/ the amended pledge of allegience. the words "under god" didn't even become part of that pledge until the cold war, when the free market capitalists (& the religions that love them) felt that the masses needed a good ole' patriotic mantra to encapsulate their superiority over the state capitalism of the ussr & remind joe & jane q/ public 'why we fight'. but conflating the constitution w/ the pledge - that's an interesting stretch. wonder what you're getting at...

If it's under God, what is the appropriate and tactful way to exercise our freedom of speech

oh, i know this one - if the nation is "under god" (which actually could be interpreted as 'we're really getting f*cked here'), then the nation, and , by default, its leaders, command exalted respect & admiration, for their service is performed in servitude to a higher power. just as god works in mysterious ways, so do "our" leaders & the system in which they operate & knowing this, they should be given the benefit of the doubt. if this is truly the case, then, one should keep in mind that speech which doesn't accept on good faith the motives of our leaders or social/economic/political structure is blasphemy. operatively, the concept of tact serves to reinforce the system by discouraging critical inquiry & dissent, placing the imaginary burden of "guilt" solely in the realm of the individual.

Or has this selfish world forgotten about those that came before us that established these freedoms ... along with the premise and basis which initiated our freedom of speech in the first place?

i was trying to follow along w/ you, but i must admit - i have no idea what you are talking about. the "world" owes more tactful consideration toward those who provided the "premise and basis" of "our freedom of speech"? that's not "simplifying"; that's meaningless.

The rationalizations and justifications are pathetic, and show a complete and utter lack of respect for our Forefathers, our United States, human beings as one, those that are fighting for our Country at this very moment, and this Site. And from what I gather, this site is for our freedom of speech.

who is this our in "our forefathers"? and "our united states"? if, by forefathers, you are refering to the gentry, merchant, aristo's & poli's who spurred the break off from the british empire so that they could run their own, then that's a pretty narrow grouping of offspring. as constitutional congress prez & first supreme court justice john jay opined, 'the people that own this country ought to govern it'. in this reality, "our united states" is just yet more propaganda. actually, it was propaganda that fueled the myths surrounding the stories of revolutionary independence from king george & the legends of the 'founders'. propaganda in terms of faux-enlightenment rhetoric, of vaporous 'liberties', of narrowly prescribed 'freedoms'. propaganda to recruit soldiers. propaganda to shape a new creation myth, to shape a new culture, a new nation. mythology as history, masking imperial ambitions, masking empirical objection. building a new empire by extirpating the land's original inhabitants. founding fathers who coveted land containing the bones of nearly one hundred generations. founding fathers who spoke w/ forked tongue to their followers, their competition & their selves. conquering lands, peoples, minds. conquering life, senses, hope. replacing the sacred w/ the profane. rubbing out reminders that there are alternative ways of life. alternative economic systems. alternative social structures. alternatives to the status quo.

no, the idea of indivisibility is a myth. the western liberal notion that "we are all one ... human beings as one" ignores the necessity of diversity to maintaining life. ignores multiplicity. promotes monocultures. uniformity. centralized control.

as for "those that are fighting for our country at this very moment"... i can only assume that this refers to the activists and opposition to the bush regime, as they have already destroyed all pretences of the democracy experiment in this nation, eliminated any semblance of checks & balances, removed any traces of accountability. this is where the battle is. right here is where the outcome will be determined. it is the responsiblity of individuals to collectively decide their fate. it is the responsiblity of individuals to inform themselves. it is the responsibility of individuals to educate each other. learning takes place at the level of the individual. education takes place collectively. collectively, our actions gain meaning. it is the only way communities can survive. and individual survival is predicated on community survival. so it is in all of our interests to inform ourselves & speak out. that is what freedom of speech is all about. if you don't speak out, rest assured that the status quo speaks for you.