Fighting for free speech

Additional attacks upon the basic freedoms and rights that Americans hold dear took place last week, and hardly anyone batted an eye. Although these acts did not kill thousands of Americans, they nonetheless struck deeply at a fundamental American right--freedom of speech--and even emanated from the White House.

One such controversy began on the ABC show Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher Sept. 17. Maher's comment that, "lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it's not cowardly," resulted in a firestorm of criticism, including the loss of two prominent advertisers from the show.

In response to the remarks, White House spokesperson Ari Fleischer said Sept. 26, "It's a terrible thing to say, and it's unfortunate. There are reminders to all Americans that they need to watch what they say, watch what they do, and this is not a time for remarks like that; there never is." Fleischer's comments and their suspiciously accidental omission from official transcripts are inappropriate in the free and open society that provides America's foundation.

Americans do not need to be bombarded by threats from government officials, especially ones threatening to take away or seriously impair basic freedoms. Such comments do nothing to help the United States fight terrorism. Instead, they further strain discourse, with those opposing the official American response branded as traitors and cowards. One publication even fired a columnist--Dan Guthrie of The Daily Courier in Grants Pass, Ore.--for voicing his beliefs.

The national media bears some responsibility for the overzealousness, with many days of patriotic coverage that stretched the limits of their integrity. Journalists, like most people, have been impacted by the attacks, but their feelings are not an excuse to provide inadequate coverage that focuses too much on fancy titles, such as "America's New War," and too little emphasis on the substance of thorough reporting.

Still, the media has begun to evaluate its recent coverage and is endeavoring to balance it. Hopefully, people in other fields will be as open-minded. Censoring views callously ignores the spirit of free speech. Coming out of the Revolutionary War, the Founding Fathers had reasons for including the First Amendment's protections in the Bill of Rights. They were written to protect Americans even during crises.

While guns and bombs may be a necessity for physically fighting terrorism abroad, the preservation of basic American rights and freedoms is a battle that must also be waged and won. If Americans are unwilling to protect their core beliefs, then perhaps the terrorists have succeeded.