"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
What this means:
No US government official has the right to make a law that restricts a citizen's expression, establishes a "state" religion, restricts their right to practice any religion they choose, inhibits their ability gather together for any reason or prevents them from demanding that the government hear their concerns.
What this does NOT mean:
That idiots like Phil Robertson can say any disgusting thing they want and experience no consequences. If you say something vile while representing your employer, they, being private citizens themselves, are well within their rights to get your stink off of them. If a consumer, also a private citizen, chooses not to spend money at your establishment because of something you did that they don't agree with, he or she is also well within rights. The First Amendment also protects the speech of people you don't agree with.
So let's recap:
- Until the government drags Phil Robertson off in handcuffs and imprisons him for making homophobic and racist remarks, his right to free speech is not being violated by any stretch of the imagination
- Telling someone to STFU is not violating his or her right to free speech, but in many cases it is very good advice
- Business owners and media figures are freely exercising their rights by saying homophobic, racist, misogynistic or just plain stupid things; consumers are freely exercising theirs by refusing to buy their products or watch their shows
- The First Amendment applies to all speech, even speech that conservatives don't agree with
