Editorial: Free speech must apply to everyone

“I may disagree with what you say, but I’ll defend to the death you’re right to say it.”

Those were the words of Coach Don Beck to our high school history class back in about 1987. Looking back, I’ve always considered Coach Beck as one my favorite teachers and probably the best history teacher I had at Clarendon High School. He made us memorize a portion of the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to the US Constitution, and he had a unique lecture style that combined a thick Texas drawl and good common sense to explain the government and history of our nation.

I think most of my classmates would agree that we all learned something in Coach Beck’s class. One of the things we learned was that America’s founders had a laissez faire attitude about a lot of things. That was French, Coach Beck said, and basically meant, in his words, “Government, keep your hands off.”

I’ve thought a lot about Coach Beck’s teachings through the years, and his philosophy on Freedom of Speech in particular, especially in recent years when our civic discourse has become so much less than civil.

Two weeks ago, I didn’t really even know who Charlie Kirk was. The name was familiar, and I knew he was involved in conservative politics, but beyond that I would not have recognized him. That all changed September 10 when Kirk was gunned down during the middle of a speech on a college campus.

After that horrible event, I recognized Kirk from having seen him on different social media clips, and it became obvious that he meant a great deal to a lot of people and some of those people didn’t like when critical things were said about the man.

Kirk, from all I’ve seen, I think would agree with Coach Beck. Even if he disagreed with someone, he stood by their right to speak. In fact, he seemed to relish engaging in debates and having a back and forth between himself and people who held opposing opinions. That’s as American as it gets.

Unfortunately, we’ve seen some ugliness come out of the tragedy of Kirk’s death. There have been some terrible things said. The result has been a backlash. I’ve heard many times the sentiment that yes, we have Freedom of Speech but not freedom from consequences. And that’s true, but at the root of it is still Free Speech.

Vile, ugly, insensitive, and offensive language is protected by our Constitution, and I think Kirk would have agreed with that. There will be consequences in the public arena for that. You may be shunned or boycotted for speaking your mind. There’s no getting around that. But those consequences should not come from the government.

When the state government starts forming committees to “look into” free speech on college campuses, we’re going to far. When the state starts looking at people’s personal comments online and threatening their livelihoods, we’ve gone too far. And when the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission bullies and threatens broadcasters to pull a late night comedian off the air, we’ve gone too far. That’s un-American, and we ought to all stand up against it. Charlie Kirk seems pretty consistent on one point – everyone has the right to be heard.

After the FCC chairman got Jimmy Kimmel taken off the air last week, Sen. Ted Cruz, who I generally disagree with lately, called it “dangerous as hell.”

The Texas Republican and diehard supporter of President Trump went on to say: “Going down this road, there will come a time when a Democrat wins again – wins the White House … they will silence us. They will use this power, and they will use it ruthlessly. And that is dangerous.”

We’re living in a time where from election to election, the pendulum swings hard right then hard left then harder right then harder left. Cruz sees what happened to Jimmy Kimmel and knows that Glenn Beck or Bill O’Reilly could be next if we allow this to happen once.
American must return to understanding that our freedoms are not just for those we agree with. The Freedom of Religion is not just for evangelical Christians but is also for Muslims. The Freedom of the Press is not just for The Clarendon Enterprise but is also for The New York Times, Playboy, and Mother Jones. And the Freedom of Speech is not just for the supporters of Charlie Kirk; it is for people who didn’t like his opinions also.

The only way Liberty works is when we all have it. It’s been said before, freedom for some is freedom for none. That’s what our Constitution stands for, and that’s what America is supposed to be about.

There is no cause to cheer when anyone is silenced by whatever means. Free Speech is the most fundamental right we have as Americans, and we should never allow anyone to take it from us.