Category Archives: Free Speech

By Debra J. Saunders

San Francisco Chronicle

Published: October 24, 2013

Army veteran Robert Van Tuinen decided to celebrate U.S. Constitution Day on Sept. 17 by handing out copies of the Constitution at Modesto Junior College in California, where he is a student. If he had been at the University or California, Berkeley, or another politically correct campus, some liberal students probably would have picked an argument with him, maybe even accused him of hate speech.

But as this was Modesto Junior College, Van Tuinen didnt attract a lot of notice. Until, that is, a security guard told Van Tuinen that he couldnt hand out the Constitution. Or the Communist Manifesto, for that matter. On an edited video, Van Tuinen captured the guard explaining that passing out anything whatsoever, you have to have permission through the student development office.

An administrative aide at that office explained the schools policies for time-place-and-manner free-speech area. Students have to sign up in a binder to use a small designated space, and since two students already were protesting, Van Tuinen would have to wait his turn to speak freely and pass out literature. When Van Tuinen told her he just wanted to pass out copies of the Constitution, she asked, Umm, why?

Van Tuinen was appalled. When he served in Kuwait, he learned that the military doesnt put a high premium on free speech. Soldiers dont have the same rights as students, and the brass had little interest in his pontificating on the framers intent. Thats when I figured out the service wasnt the best place for me, he confided. But who knew that college life would be equally casual about stifling his self-expression?

Yes, Virginia, there is a California college campus where protest is not a major.

Let me confess. In this job, Ive observed campus protest at its best, that is to say, worst Berkeley students throwing incendiary objects at the chancellors home, tree-sitters camped in a campus grove for 20 interminable months and UC Davis paying a $1 million settlement to pepper-sprayed students. I cant help it, I find Van Tuinens story cute as a button.

But its not. Its not because campus personnel told a student he cannot give out copies of the U.S. Constitution. In a statement, college President Jill Stearns asserted, There is absolutely no requirement that a student register weeks in advance and hand out his literature only in a small marked area. But a security guard and staff binder suggest otherwise. The very fact that a campus has a two-person free-speech zone troubles Robert Shibley, vice president for the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, which has aided Van Tuinen in the free-speech lawsuit he filed against the college.

Read more:
Vet’s constitution won’t allow restriction of free speech

This is the third day of Free Speech Week, during which we will be celebrating freedom of speech by posting highlights from Catos recent work to support freedom of speech in its various forms, whether through legal advocacy, media appearances, or other public outreach.

Today we will highlight the First Amendment right of citizens to record on-duty police officers. This has been a controversial topic over the past few years, as police officers have in many instances reacted negatively, unprofessionally, or even illegally to being recorded by bystanders. While federal courts have now acknowledged the inherent First Amendment right of citizens to record public officials performing their duties, many officers still side-step the law and make arrests based on trumped up charges, like obstruction or delay of an officer.

The following Cato video featuring Radley Balko, Clark Neily, and David Rittgers gives a good overview of the importance of the right to record the police:

Also, a couple years back, I hosted a panel discussion at Cato on laws that prohibit recording the police. The video can be found here.

Being able to record the police is important because of the much needed accountability that it provides. Many of the stories and accounts Ive written about on Catos National Police Misconduct Reporting Project have only come to light because concerned citizens have stood up against police misconduct by recording itsometimes resulting in further abuse to themselves or their family. The ability to record and then speak out when something wrong happens goes to the heart of the First Amendment, which makes the fight over recording the police a good topic to remember on Free Speech Week.

For more information on Free Speech Week and to learn how you can help celebrate free speech, check out http://www.FreeSpeechWeek.org.

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Free Speech Week — Wednesday

Obama signs Executive Order - FREE SPEECH ILLEGAL
Another Executive Order HR 347. The attack is against the First Amendment and free speech. This new law make #39;No Free Speech" Zones *wherever the Secret Serv...

By: Shieena Living Waters

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Obama signs Executive Order - FREE SPEECH ILLEGAL - Video

It is not surprising that The University of Kansas faculty supported the right of their fellow professor, David Guth, to say he hopes the children of NRA members will be murdered. Its free speech, after all. Does anyone else notice how liberals come out of the woodwork to support the speech of one of their own, while striving to silence voices of conservatives?

Just this summer, a rodeo clown in Missouri was threatened with federal prosecution for his temerity to don an Obama mask. In typical fashion, the NAACP wanted him charged with a hate crime. He was banned from Missouri rodeos for life, and other rodeo clowns were forced to attend sensitivity classes reminiscent of communist Chinas re-education camps. No one cared when past clowns lampooned Reagan or the Bushes.

If professors truly esteem free speech, then why do the majority of universities have speech codes, specifically aimed to silence conservatives and Christians? There is no academic freedom when students at some universities have been expelled for their refusal to endorse homosexuality. Why have some universities, like the University of South Carolina, allowed meeting space to every group and club, except to Christian groups? Why are terrorists like Kathy Boudin, Howard Machtinger and President Barack Obamas friends Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn given professorships and allowed to enjoy their freedom of speech and academic freedom yet conservative and Christian students have no such freedoms on campuses throughout America?

We need to see universities for what they are liberal breeding grounds, full of 1960s elitists who generally despise conservatives and seek to weed out those who profess Christ. As liberals, they are the only ones truly deserving of free speech. Wake up, America this is who is educating and indoctrinating our children.

DIANE SMITH, Topeka

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Letter: Universities should value free speech, not just for liberals

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/21/2013 10:09:29 AM The National Cable & Telecommunications Association and the Motion Picture Association of America are celebrating Free Speech Week, which kicks off Monday, by co-hosting a discussion with iconic First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams Oct. 22, moderated by Barbara Cochran, Curtis B. Hurley Chair in Public Policy Journalism at the University of Missouri's School of Journalism.

MPAA Chair Chris Dodd is chairman of the Free Speech Weed Advisory council and NCTA president Michael Powell is a member of the council.

Abrams is a partner in Cahill Gordon & Reindel and has argued numerous cases before the Supreme Court, represented the New York Times in the Pentagon Papers case, and has represented ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Time Magazine, and others in trials and appeals.

Free Speech Week, always the third week in October, was founded by The Media Institute and provides a forum for discussion/celebration of First Amendment freedoms. This year's partners, in addition to NCTA and MPAA, include the National Association of Broadcasters, USTelecom, the Consumer Electronics Association, The Newspaper Association of America, Clear Channel, NPR, and various colleges and Universities.

Organizers encourage participants--schools, PTAs, companies--to display their support for First Amendment rights by exercising them, from displaying a bumper sticker or yard sign, to blogging, tweeting, debating or writing their legislator.

For more ideas on celebrating Free Speech week, check outhttp://www.freespeechweek.org/.

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Continued here:
NCTA, MPAA Help Launch Free Speech Week

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/21/2013 10:09:29 AM The National Cable & Telecommunications Association and the Motion Picture Association of America are celebrating Free Speech Week, which kicks off Monday, by co-hosting a discussion with iconic First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams Oct. 22, moderated by Barbara Cochran, Curtis B. Hurley Chair in Public Policy Journalism at the University of Missouri's School of Journalism.

MPAA Chair Chris Dodd is chairman of the Free Speech Weed Advisory council and NCTA president Michael Powell is a member of the council.

Abrams is a partner in Cahill Gordon & Reindel and has argued numerous cases before the Supreme Court, represented the New York Times in the Pentagon Papers case, and has represented ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Time Magazine, and others in trials and appeals.

Free Speech Week, always the third week in October, was founded by The Media Institute and provides a forum for discussion/celebration of First Amendment freedoms. This year's partners, in addition to NCTA and MPAA, include the National Association of Broadcasters, USTelecom, the Consumer Electronics Association, The Newspaper Association of America, Clear Channel, NPR, and various colleges and Universities.

Organizers encourage participants--schools, PTAs, companies--to display their support for First Amendment rights by exercising them, from displaying a bumper sticker or yard sign, to blogging, tweeting, debating or writing their legislator.

For more ideas on celebrating Free Speech week, check outhttp://www.freespeechweek.org/.

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NCTA, MPAA Help Celebraate Free Speech Week

Amid Free Speech Week, we ask: Where would we be as a nation without the freedom of speech?

After all, according to the annual State of the First Amendment survey, it is by far Americas favorite freedom and our most important right. In that survey, 47 percent voted for free speech, compared to 10 percent for the next closest right, freedom of religion. It is only appropriate that we dedicate a week to celebrating free speech.

The freedom to express ourselves and speak our minds is an inextricable part of a strong democracy. When you have a government directed by its citizens, it is critical that those citizens be engaged and informed. Indeed, our founding fathers recognized the critical need for the free flow of information.

It is equally important that citizens have the freedom and the avenue to challenge the government and its representatives, discuss key issues, and be absolutely assured that their voices are heard.

Newspapers provide that avenue and self-expression through guest opinion pieces and letters to the editor. We recognize the importance of publishing a diversity of viewpoints, as we only grow as a country and effectively address difficult issues if a variety of expertise, facts and opinions are shared.

Today, social media has been heralded as one of the greatest platforms for free speech and self-expression. Anyone can post whatever they want at their convenience, and it lives online for the whole world to see.

But when it comes to important matters, where citizens want to make sure that their thoughts and expertise are considered by the public and leaders alike, newspapers provide the platform to reach their community and influence their leaders.

We see this again and again, most recently when Vladimir Putin and John McCain spoke directly to Americans and Russians by going straight to newspapers. As they demonstrated, its an effective strategy to capture attention and state your position whether you are a global leader or a small-town worker.

Years ago, newspapers were the only reliable way to disseminate information to a wide audience. Thanks to the Internet, our society has become inundated with information from many sources. The Internet plays a critical role in the delivery of newspaper media and newspapers remain the trusted source in communities, large or small, that cut through the clutter with the news that you need to know.

Newspapers remain the reliable way to reach the American public. Our circulation revenue is up and our readership is growing, because today, more than ever, people need a news source they can trust.

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Guest commentary: Celebrating the Role of Newspapers in Protecting Free Speech

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/21/2013 10:09:29 AM The National Cable & Telecommunications Association and the Motion Picture Association of America are celebrating Free Speech Week, which kicks off Monday, by co-hosting a discussion with iconic First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams Oct. 22, moderated by Barbara Cochran, Curtis B. Hurley Chair in Public Policy Journalism at the University of Missouri's School of Journalism.

MPAA Chair Chris Dodd is chairman of the Free Speech Weed Advisory council and NCTA president Michael Powell is a member of the council.

Abrams is a partner in Cahill Gordon & Reindel and has argued numerous cases before the Supreme Court, represented the New York Times in the Pentagon Papers case, and has represented ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Time Magazine, and others in trials and appeals.

Free Speech Week, always the third week in October, was founded by The Media Institute and provides a forum for discussion/celebration of First Amendment freedoms. This year's partners, in addition to NCTA and MPAA, include the National Association of Broadcasters, USTelecom, the Consumer Electronics Association, The Newspaper Association of America, Clear Channel, NPR, and various colleges and Universities.

Organizers encourage participants--schools, PTAs, companies--to display their support for First Amendment rights by exercising them, from displaying a bumper sticker or yard sign, to blogging, tweeting, debating or writing their legislator.

For more ideas on celebrating Free Speech week, check outhttp://www.freespeechweek.org/.

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NCTA, MPAA Help Celebrate Free Speech Week

Laughter pealed through Illinois Colleges Sibert Theatre as students listened to a recording of comedian George Carlin rattling off the seven dirty words you can never say on television.

The message was quite serious, though.

Carlin, who died in 2008, first spoke out about the filthy words in May 1972 during a seven-minute routine he delivered onstage in Santa Monica, Calif. Two months later he was arrested on obscenity charges after performing the same skit in Milwaukee.

A lawsuit resulting from a radio station airing a modified version of the Seven Dirty Words bit made it all the way to the Supreme Court, which by a majority decision ruled in 1978 that the act was indecent, but not obscene. However, because the broadcast occurred during the daytime when a child could accidentally be exposed to profanity the Court said the Federal Communications Commission could regulate offensive content on broadcasts between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.

That legal battle and other landmark court cases were reviewed during the colleges 1st and Foremost, Lift Your Voices convocation to commemorate Free Speech Week.

During an hour-long presentation, Adrienne Hacker Daniels, IC professor of communication and rhetorical studies; former IC professor Adria Battaglia, now an Angelo State University faculty member; graduate students Stephen Henry and Maria Hagland, who traveled with Battaglia from San Angelo,Texas; and IC students, Travis James, Ross Barker, Phuong Nguyen, Melissa Mennenga, Katie Pierce and Josh Williams covered three types of speech obscene, hate and seditious.

The goal was to really give the audience a good sense of the true meaning and ramifications of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, Hacker Daniels said. What I expect students to take away is an understanding of what their First Amendment rights are because I really dont think a lot of people truly know. I think what we did today gives people a good sense of the history of these issues as we progressed.

The presentation didnt shy away from using some of the profanity involved in the court cases, but Hacker Daniels said the language did make her feel uncomfortable about holding that type of convocation in the colleges chapel. Instead, it was held in the theater.

There are things that, according to the law and according to the (court) decisions, you can say legally, Hacker Daniels said. Then you have to ask yourself: Should I say something like that? Just because the law allows me to say something like that does it mean that its the right thing to do?

Williams wore a robe with a three-word profane phrase about military conscription that was at the core of a 1971 Supreme Court case dealing with freedom of speech. The court overturned the mans conviction for the crime of disturbing the peace for wearing a jacket that displayed the phrase.

Excerpt from:
Free speech probed at IC presentation

Campus Free Speech
http://poxyrants.blogspot.com/ https://twitter.com/PoxySquirrel https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001782467676There is a tremendous effort these days on college campuses across the...

By: Biff Burroughs

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Campus Free Speech - Video