by District 4 Councilmember Kyle Jones

Some time ago as I was pumping liquid gold into my car, another vehicle pulled up to a pump near me. As one young man ran inside to pre-pay for his gas, another young man waited by the car with both doors open and the stereo blaring. I got his attention to ask if he could turn the volume down. He couldn’t understand me, so he reached inside the car and turned it down just enough to barely hear me. I again asked if he could turn it down. He immediately got in my face and proceeded to rant that he had the right to listen to anything he wanted. I assured him that it was absolutely his personal right to listen to any recording of his choice. However, he had difficulty understanding that his freedom of choice did not give him the right to force everyone else within 100 yards to listen to the vulgar and obscene lyrics reverberating from the speakers. Thankfully my tank was soon full and I was on my way.

Ironically, it was just a few weeks later that I came across a bumper sticker that said in essence, ‘If I wanted to listen t your music, I would be sitting in your car’.

It is fascinating to me when I here individuals making claims of their Constitutional rights being violated on a variety of issues, while showing total disregard for the rights of other involved parties. The Constitution of the United States provides U.S. residents with more protections and freedoms than anywhere else in the world. But with those rights comes responsibility. Unfortunately, too many conflicts arise from the inability of some to respect the property and rights of others. We get so caught up in our personal perspective that we fail to see the bigger picture and the effects of our choices on others. Whether it is a party, zoning case, neighborhood conflict or just a selfish desire for personal gain, you do not have the right to trample the freedom and rights of others. Our founding fathers understood that all men are created equal, and entitled to enjoy personal rights and freedoms without having them taken away by others.

The next time you want to claim Constitutional rights are being violated, look in the mirror and make sure that you are not the violator.