Freedom of Speech is a Bedrock of American Democracy

“Civil liberty, in all countries, hath been promoted by a free discussion of publick measures, and the conduct of publick men.

The freedom of the press hath, in consequence thereof, been esteemed one of its safe guards. That freedom gives the right, at all times, to every citizen to lay his sentiments, in a decent manner, before the people.” – John DeWitt, November 1787

The quote above is from an article published in the Boston American Herald as America debated the newly written Constitution. This argument, among others, led to the freedom of the press as one of the key amendments in the Bill of Rights. Since the ratification of the constitution, 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲; 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐝, 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲.

President Trump has had immigration officers arrest a recent graduate of Columbia University, who is here legally, with a green card, over protests related to Palestine, admitting he had broken no laws, and is attempting to deport him – further stating this is the first of many to come. This arrest is an attempt to intimidate, to make dissent and protest a feared activity. In addition to the arrest, President Trump has pulled millions of dollars of funding for multiple universities tied to Palestinian protests. Regardless of whether you agree with a protest or not, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲.

President Trump has stepped up attacks on journalists in America.  Starting with attacks on ‘fake news’, this week he spoke at the

Department of Justice and claimed MSNBC and CNN are arms of the Democratic Party, calling their reporting “illegal”. Defining these actions as illegal is blatantly untrue and a further attempt to intimidate opposition, harming our free speech principles. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲.

Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to use the FCC to revoke media licenses for media networks who he claims treated him unfairly. Once again, the President is attempting to coerce media networks to paint him in a positive light, threatening free speech in the United States. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲.

According to Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, the funding that has been released after being frozen by the Executive Branch is concentrated in Republican districts, particularly those where the members of Congress have acquiesced to the demands of Donald Trump, despite all of this frozen funding having been legally appropriated by Congress. This is another mechanism to quell dissent and free speech – in this case amongst the very congress members who have the power to check the President. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲.

Donald Trump has targeted law firms that have opposed him – signing an executive order to punish several law firms. This is a threat to other law firms, indicating executive action will be taken if a firm chooses to oppose the president. While I am a little uncertain if this is actually a first amendment violation, it is unequivocally immoral and an attempt to stifle dissenting legal opinions. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲.

For many decades and through many Presidents, the White House Correspondents’ Association chose which journalists were able to be party to the Presidential pool. President Trump has taken over this control and is excluding many highly reputable news agencies on account of their coverage of the President and including media which are more closely aligned with his views. Excluding journalists is another way to push out dissenting opinions. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲.

My entire life, I have heard politicians across the aisle, journalists, teachers, and friends discuss the incredible importance of free speech in democracy; truly, democracy cannot survive without a free press. For this reason, I cannot imagine any reason that republicans in Congress are silent.

I write today to ask my representation, Senators Grassley and Ernst and Representative Nunn, to stand up for this important, unalienable right and demand that President Trump respect the right to free speech. 𝐈 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐥𝐲, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.

𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲 – (𝟓𝟏𝟓) 𝟐𝟖𝟖-𝟏𝟏𝟒𝟓

𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐢 𝐄𝐫𝐧𝐬𝐭 – (𝟓𝟏𝟓) 𝟐𝟖𝟒-𝟒𝟓𝟕𝟒

𝐙𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐍𝐮𝐧𝐧 – (𝟓𝟏𝟓) 𝟒𝟎𝟎-𝟖𝟏𝟖𝟎