Hopelessly Vague Speech Still Protected By First Amendment
J-School professor Kyu Ho Youm has this op-ed in today’s R-G. Some phrases instantly leap off the page.
…our intuitive perception of our press freedom in the past 2 1/2 years is clearly off base… Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, however, freedom of speech has been noticeably constrained in the United States… The paternalistic and sometimes dismissive attitude of the federal government toward an inquisitive press and an engaged citizenry is repugnant to the central meaning of the Sullivan case: Criticism of the government is not a crime, but a right under the First Amendment… “Other countries use the erosion of human rights in the United States to justify their own abuses” [quoting former Irish President Mary Robinson]…
I’m no fan of PATRIOT, but this a little bit over the top, isn’t it? Or is there some nefarious scheme afoot to render criticism of the government criminal? (If so, I would greatly appreciate being told about it.)
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