Let Me Be Frank

Faith in the Public Square
Lompoc Record
September 30, 2007

If I may speak freely, I’d like to pontificate a moment on two First Amendment Rights. Those rights are the freedom to speak and publish freely. You may not like what I have to say, but that’s okay – that’s your right. It’s also my right to disagree with you. That’s the American way.

The First Amendment protects five primary rights – speech, the press, assembly, petition, and religion. These five basic rights stand at the heart of American democracy, and when they’re threatened, our democracy is threatened. The Founders, in their wisdom, deemed it appropriate to enshrine these rights into the Constitution so that no one could infringe upon them. When attempts are made to infringe on them, we as a people are called upon to resist those efforts – even if those efforts are made in the name of national security. Indeed, it is our responsibility to defend the rights of those we disagree with to share their views in public.
These rights are not without certain limits, of course, for with any freedom comes responsibility and accountability. We’re free to speak, but we’re not free to slander, to libel, or to defame. But still, there’s great leeway. I can criticize the President, the Congress, and the judicial system. I don’t even have to be polite. I do, however, need to be careful with my facts and with the lives of others. For instance, as we all should know by now, yelling “fire” in a crowded building when there isn’t a fire is not protected speech. There are also times and places where certain kinds of speech might not be appropriate, and it’s my right to let you know when I think your speech is inappropriate (and you may do the same in return).
In spite of the Constitutional protections of free speech, attempts have been made throughout our history to silence unwelcome voices. For more than half of our nation’s history women didn’t have a right to vote – surely that’s an abridgment of speech. The same has been true for many ethnic minorities. Joseph McCarthy’s campaign to silence suspected Communists during the 1950s is another unseemly example. This shadow hangs over our nation’s history, and it’s a shadow we must always keep in mind lest we fall prey to the temptation to try and silence dissident voices.
Not all efforts to silence our voices come from the government. We as a people have sought effective ways to silence people we disagree with – and these efforts are seemingly less protected. In this day, when the nation is at war, there’s no better way to silence someone than to question their patriotism. In the minds of some, to question the decisions and actions of our government is almost treasonous. For instance, people who oppose or protest the war in Iraq are charged with being un-American, unsupportive of the troops, or even of giving aid and comfort to the enemy. Political candidates are smeared. Religious groups are disparaged. Newspapers that give voice to such sentiments are lambasted in letters to the editor. Fear of a backlash leads some media outlets to essentially become government mouthpieces.
This isn’t anything new. I grew up during the Vietnam War, an equally unpopular war. Then, as now, dissatisfaction with the war and the way it was being waged was shared from podiums, pulpits, and street corners across the country. Many Americans found these protests unsettling and inappropriate. While, I don’t remember “Support Our Troops” bumper stickers back then, I do remember the phrase: “America, Love it or Leave It.” In other words, if you don’t support the government actions, you’re unpatriotic, and if you’re unpatriotic, you don’t have a right to live here. The Constitution of the United States, however, says differently.

Whether or not you agree with the government or the protestors, if you believe in the Constitution, then you must defend the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press. And, we who exercise that freedom should do so responsibly by refraining from making statements that are dubious or that are destructive. May we also choose to stand up for the rights of others to speak their minds, even as we claim our own rights to free speech.

Dr. Bob Cornwall is pastor of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Lompoc (http://www.lompocdisciples.org). He blogs at http://pastobobcornwall.blogspot.com
and may be contacted at
lompocdisciples@impulse.net or c/o First Christian Church, P.O. Box 1056, Lompoc, CA 93438.

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