2008 Woodie Awards
Are there limits to free speech?
Matt Flanagan
Opinion Editor
Issue date: 11/5/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
As opinion editor, it comes as my responsibility to allow for my writers a diversity of opinion on any subject every issue. Naturally, as a newspaper, we try to focus on the important topics each issue, always remembering the freedom of our press to print these opinions with the freedom of speech in mind.
Think about this for a second: We live in a society where we are free to speak our mind about anything at all whatsoever.
Anything at all!
Take the Westboro Baptist Church, for example. They wave signs with sickening slogans like "God hates fags," or "Thank God for 9/11," and they protest military funerals. Members of this church have been found in public arenas, outright denouncing people for not believing their disgusting propaganda of bigotry and narrowmindedness.
I do not expect a lot of people to agree with these views. What we can't deny, however, is the ability -- and the right -- of these people to speak their opinions openly.
While I don't really think "God hates America," or that Improvised Explosive Devices are gifts from any kind of benevolent creator, I do believe that we have a gift from human creators: the Constitution.
And in this Constitution, we have a list of rights granted us by way of legal process.
The basic tenets of the First Amendment to the Constitution state the right of the American people to a free press, freedom of religion, free speech and the right to assembly. The key in interpreting these rights, among others, is knowing why they're free and what responsibilities exist because of these freedoms. Sure, we all know we can burn flags in public places or hold signs saying things about people in power performing acts of violence on other countries, but like all other things, there is a time and a place (and a reason) for it; and, if it's a particularly offensive opinion to the public, there will be repercussions, simply as a matter of fact.
As such, I think there are also repercussions for this church openly speaking their opinion about the things they protest: Public support for their cause, by and large, goes out the window as soon as their message goes public; this comes mainly from the fact that their message is one of hate and bigotry, making it difficult, I'm sure, to recruit members.
However, it is simply their responsibility to know these when making public statements and/or protests.
Sure, these people in particular may seem offensive to the eyes and ears, and your impulse judgment of them is that they are lower than dirt. However, there is absolutely nothing inherently bad or wrong about what they're doing. And I think there are worse things for our country than the ability to exercise free speech.
Think about this for a second: We live in a society where we are free to speak our mind about anything at all whatsoever.
Anything at all!
Take the Westboro Baptist Church, for example. They wave signs with sickening slogans like "God hates fags," or "Thank God for 9/11," and they protest military funerals. Members of this church have been found in public arenas, outright denouncing people for not believing their disgusting propaganda of bigotry and narrowmindedness.
I do not expect a lot of people to agree with these views. What we can't deny, however, is the ability -- and the right -- of these people to speak their opinions openly.
While I don't really think "God hates America," or that Improvised Explosive Devices are gifts from any kind of benevolent creator, I do believe that we have a gift from human creators: the Constitution.
And in this Constitution, we have a list of rights granted us by way of legal process.
The basic tenets of the First Amendment to the Constitution state the right of the American people to a free press, freedom of religion, free speech and the right to assembly. The key in interpreting these rights, among others, is knowing why they're free and what responsibilities exist because of these freedoms. Sure, we all know we can burn flags in public places or hold signs saying things about people in power performing acts of violence on other countries, but like all other things, there is a time and a place (and a reason) for it; and, if it's a particularly offensive opinion to the public, there will be repercussions, simply as a matter of fact.
As such, I think there are also repercussions for this church openly speaking their opinion about the things they protest: Public support for their cause, by and large, goes out the window as soon as their message goes public; this comes mainly from the fact that their message is one of hate and bigotry, making it difficult, I'm sure, to recruit members.
However, it is simply their responsibility to know these when making public statements and/or protests.
Sure, these people in particular may seem offensive to the eyes and ears, and your impulse judgment of them is that they are lower than dirt. However, there is absolutely nothing inherently bad or wrong about what they're doing. And I think there are worse things for our country than the ability to exercise free speech.
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