Imagine living in a world where your thoughts are controlled by the government and every word you say become muted. Plaguing the world since the beginning of society, censorship is use to block the truth, the truth that the governments do not want us to hear. Our ears are slowly becoming deafened by the government, and they will not stop until they have succeeded. The tyrannical governments of Cuba and North Korea have already accomplished their task of silencing their citizens. This cruel injustice cannot spread to any other country. At first, censorship will only affect entertainment and the media, but later it will spread, like a disease, to our protests. Censorship will lead to increasingly restricting laws, and restricting laws will lead to the complete government control of society.

We must stop this unjust silencing of our thoughts. If we do not act upon this issue, the situation will only deteriorate. Increased surveillance will become another issue if the amount of censorship increases. Many phone service providers have active contracts with the United States government to allow their customers' devices to be more accessible to wire-tapping by government agencies. The same is true with many European countries, such as the United Kingdom, although not to this extent. You may never know if a government agency is secretly listening to your conversation over the phone. Not only is this an invasion of privacy, it also could increase your chances of becoming arrested for violating a censorship law, which could become reality in the future.

Joining together is the only way that we can combat this war on censorship. One man cannot make a difference, but one man can influence a group of individuals to make a difference. We cannot allow ourselves to be subject to full control of the government. Our entire American way of life is at stake. The restrictions won't stop at censorship. Our personal and political freedoms will be next in line. The infection of censorship must be stopped before it spreads even further, or irreparable damage could be dealt, not only to our country, but also to society as a whole due to our strong influence on other nations. A four leg table cannot stand on only three legs.

The government is much too powerful to physically attack. We must peacefully protest against the injustice of censorship, similar to how Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi protested. Both of these men were successful in accomplishing their goals of bringing freedom to a group of people. Equally as important as protesting is civil disobedience. If a censorship law were to theoretically be created, we must break the law and allow ourselves to become arrested without resisting law enforcement. If one fully believes in a cause, one must not only speak out against it, but must also act against it.

One organization you could consider joining is the National Coalition Against Censorship. The NCAC is a group of over 50 organizations dedicated to the preservation of free speech and free expression. They firmly believe that the government works for the American citizen, and citizens should be able to demand what they want from the government. They also state that even if you don't agree with another individual's opinion, you must respect their right to speak, which is protected by the first amendment of the United States Constitution. The National Coalition Against Censorship have made great progress in overcoming censorship, and they will continue to do so as long as they are aided by the support of the public.