Blue Machinery of summer:
Yusef Komunyakaa frequently uses his reading and more specifically the content of reading to separate himself and his ambitions from those of this co-workers. While they occupy the same space and are performing similar actions their experiences, goals, and long term plans are radically different. The Voltaire quotation is ideal in its location because while it speaks of hard working lower classes it makes a final point that gold and culture do not win wars, iron and force win wars which is shockingly on point in a factory of workers creating triggers for grenade launchers, among other things.

I think that a man can be replaced by another man but also by a machine just as robots have been doing for 20 years. That said there are workers and there are artists, in every job. It doesn't matter what you do for a living whether you make shoes or sell flowers you can be an artist at what you do and that makes you not only very special but extremely difficult to replace. It is very true that the working classes are under heavy duress and this makes it even more difficult for them to escape their difficult lives. It is a viscous circle spiraling downward made worse by oppression and mounting debt. It is mind crushing spirit sucking work that should motivate us to reach higher and question why we are building the things we are building yet more often than not people get stuck in their routine of living day to day and life slips through their fingers.

Shouting "Fire!"
Freedom of speech is paramount to the development, diversification and evolution of any society. Dershowitz reminds us of the Constitutions stance on the primary importance of free speech. I believe the only fair limits that can be assigned would be conditional and based on intent. I support a person's right to say whatever they want but they should be held accountable for their words just as they would be for their actions. Thoughts are given form through words, just as thoughts are given form through physical actions. You can hurt or kill someone with a physical attack just as you could with deceptive or cruel words. To that end I'll fight for your right to say anything you want but I'll also fight to have you prosecuted if those words were dishonest and malicious.

Response to other post:
I respect your position but to broadly allow the government to limit our rights based on the possibility that something bad might happen is a slippery slope that would slowly erode our freedom. It has happened many times in the past and it is only through vigilant and constant efforts that we retain our freedom. You can't force people to be good to each other, no law can make a bad person act rightly and you shouldn't punish the masses because of a few people who disrespect and misuse their freedom.