"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it. " Voltaire
"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."
1st Amendment
"...No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; ... nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
XIV Amendment Section One
"Every person may freely speak, write, or publish his sentiments on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that right; and no law shall be passed to restrain or abridge the liberty of speech or of the press...." Oklahoma Constitution II-22
Let me start this discussion by stating that the behavior of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity members at OSU, deplorable and reprehensible as I find it, and it undoubtedly was, is not the point of this post. As despicable as it is, far greater harm lies in allowing any agent of any state, in this case the Oklahoma State University, to inflict any consequence to the expression of that opinion.
As Americans, they are entitled, whether we like it or not, to espouse any view whatsoever, regardless of merit. That OSU, bound as it is by the Constitution of the United States, and of it's own state, should presume to chastise them for it is a danger to us all.
Freedom of speech, freedom of expression, is sine qua non to any free society. Like it or not, we are bound to tolerate that with which we disagree. To do otherwise is to live in an echo chamber of our own devise.
No comments:
Post a Comment