Letter: Free speech upheld

Steve Cookseys fight for free-speech (N.C. editorial from the News & Record of Greensboro, reprinted in The Daily Reflector on Monday) ended in victory. Cooksey should not have been required by the N.C. Board of Dietetics/Nutrition to obtain a license for giving advice from personal experience on his blog. If in the end he was forced to obtain a license, it could mean that other U.S. citizens would have to obtain licenses for expressing opinions or giving advice.

As stated in the editorial, Cooksey did not claim to have professional credentials or to be a doctor or nutritionist. Forcing him to discontinue giving advice without a license invaded his free-speech right. The First Amendment of the Constitution states that Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech. Even though this amendment was ratified in 1791, it still applies today and should be upheld.

There have been many advances in technology and media since the First Amendment was ratified. Because of the Internet, what we say can have an impact on a greater number of people than in 1791. Even though times have changed and our amount of influence has grown, this law is still the law. It is right that the Board of Dietetics/Nutrition subsequently adopted new guidelines stating that people can give ordinary diet advice without a license. This was a constitutional decision.

AMANDA VERMIGLIO

Winterville

Go here to see the original:
Letter: Free speech upheld