I simply cannot stand by and watch a right guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States come under attack from those who either can't understand it, don't like the sound of it, or find themselves too philosophically squeamish to see why it remains the first among equals: Because it is the right we turn to when all else fails. That's why the Second Amendment is America's first freedom.
Charlton HestonIn the mainstream film market, certainly in television, sex is handled fairly discreetly. I think the abuse of extraordinarily graphic violence and language presses much closer to the tolerance of public taste.
Charlton HestonYou could say that the paparazzi and the tabloids are sort of the 'assault weapons' of the First Amendment. They're ugly, a lot of people don't like them, but they're protected by the First Amendment - just as 'assault weapons' are protected by the Second Amendment.
Charlton HestonTelling us what to think has evolved into telling us what to say, so telling us what to do can't be far behind.
Charlton HestonLetโs be honest. Who here thinks your professors can say what they really believe? It scares me to death, and should scare you too, that the superstition of political correctness rules the halls of reason. What does all of this mean? It means that telling us what to think has evolved into telling us what to say, so telling us what to do canโt be far behind. Before you claim to be a champion of free thought, tell me: Why did political correctness originate on Americaโs campuses? And why do you continue to tolerate it? Why do you, whoโre supposed to debate ideas, surrender to their suppression?
Charlton Heston