What's free about speech?

Free speech or is it? If you get asked your opinion on an issue but then verbally hacked for it then how is it free? Every vote counts , yeah right!

Again we get to vote on issue's according to how strongly we feel or the importance of the said issue. However if a group of citizen's don't particularly like the outcome or the results then it's all about kicking and screaming,ranting and raving until they can overturn it. So why bother ?
It's so reminiscent of elementary school playground antics. How ridiculous it was then, how sad and pathetic it is now.

The thing that really saddens me about it all I guess is the fact that my Grandfather's fought and bled so we could have all these "Free Rights". Now it just seems all in vain for nothing. = (