Collegiate Times

"Congress shall make no law respecting the 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." — First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

This week is First Amendment Week, a celebration of the freedoms protected by the first article of the Bill of Rights. Nine out of the first ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution are intended to protect some sort of tangible property. Examples of protected properties range from one's life (covered by the self-defense oriented 2nd Amendment) to one's personal records and possessions (covered by the 4th and 5th Amendments).

The First Amendment exists to protect the thing that sets mankind apart from all other forms of life on earth: the magnificent mind. For good and for ill (less so the latter), the products of our minds have driven us forward from the dawn of time. Unfortunately, there have always been people who try to suppress the products of the mind. It is only a very recent matter of human history that a society has codified the notion of protecting free thought. As Americans we should be proud that we have done so in the First Amendment.

I have personally benefited from the protection of ideas by the First Amendment. As an opinions columnist for over three years, I have repeatedly taken positions that may not be popular with some - opposition to the war on drugs, opposition to the welfare state, promotion of unconditional privacy protections, promotion of equal rights for all individuals regardless of gender or orientation, and the promotion of concealed handgun rights for students on campus - but have never feared that I would risk harm by doing so.

In addition to taking advantage of the freedom of the press, I have also taken advantage of my freedom of speech on numerous occasions. One that comes to mind is when I had the privilege of being on a panel to discuss the ramifications of the Patriot Act in a public forum. Other panelists included two F.B.I. agents and the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia. The presence of law enforcement did not discourage me from vehemently condemning what I viewed to be some of the Patriot Act's more egregious provisions. In some parts of the world they arrest and torture you for even a whisper of disrespect towards the established authority. In America we may disagree with what you say, but will fight for your right to say it.

That is the beauty of the First Amendment. It not only forces the government to tolerate all opinions and views, but a majority of Americans have an ingrained respect for the ideals it enshrines.

Ironically the First Amendment has been under attack from our own leaders almost since the country was founded. In 1798 Congress passed the Sedition Act, which made it illegal to criticize government policies. Later, President Lincoln would arrest citizens and members of the press in Maryland who publicly sympathized with the Confederate cause. More recently some members of Congress have called for major newspapers such as The New York Times to be prosecuted for treason in response to these publications' expos of certain so-called national security programs.

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