[Prev|Next|Index] Tue, Feb 20, 1996 Melissa Simmons

FreeSpeech

     By Melissa Simmons

     Our nation has always embraced free speech but with a caveat: we
     are free to talk of what we want as long as it doesnıt threaten
     national security. During the McCarthy Era, free speech was
     significantly curtailed by abuse of this caveat. A few people
     with hunger for power decided to prosecute supposed and real
     communists on this basis. Anyone learning about it years later
     can not fail to be horrified by this abuse of power and the
     limits placed on free speech. The threat was imaginary, created
     by those who thought to use it for their own promotion.
     If the McCarthy era taught us anything, it is that free speech
     can be threatened, and even curtailed, by the imagination of
     those with political power. Citizens should be very leery of
     arguments that claim that free speech ought to be curtailed for
     the well-being of our nation.
     However, I am not claiming that the Telecom Reform Bill, with its
     limits on free speech, will repeat the horrors of the McCarthy
     Era; in this age of electronic information one hopes that witch
     hunt will never be repeated. One historian I spoke with recently
     pointed out that it was freely distributed information, in
     particular a television broadcast of the McCarthy hearings, that
     ended McCarthyism. McCarthyıs bullying tactics so disgusted
     television viewers that his rein of destruction was finished.
     History teaches us two important things about freedom of speech.
     First, we should never allow our government to limit our right to
     free speech without close analysis of the motivations of those
     imposing these limitations and the effects of these limitations.
     As the McCarthy Era taught us, power is a strong motivator for
     the actions of some, and fear is an effective tool for holding
     onto that power. Secondly, we should be overjoyed by the
     existence and popularity of the Internet. Ironically perhaps, the
     existence of free speech is the greatest tool for defending free
     speech. Just as the television showed U.S. citizens the real
     character of McCarthy and his motivations, the Internet provides
     an excellent source of information on our political leaders. It
     is precisely this kind of tool, used as we are using it today,
     that can effectively curtail the actions of those who wish to
     limit our freedoms.

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