Freedom of speech as protected by our precious First Amendment is among the most valuable rights we are guaranteed as citizens of the United States. We are free to speak our minds, free to voice our opinions — whatever they may be — and free to oppose the very government created by the same document that grants us this freedom.
This is a cornerstone of our dear American democracy, for as President Harry S. Truman once said: “Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of the opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear.”
These days, we often fail to see that the “checks and balances” in the American republic extend much further than the powers of the legislative, executive and judicial branches over one another. In our system of federalism, there is yet a fourth and final check on any branch of the government: the all-powerful voice of the American people. As American citizens, we have the right and the responsibility to ensure our opinions are heard. We are given a powerful chance to do so through our vote, but simply showing up at a polling place once every two years isn’t enough. We must be well-informed, open to divergent opinions and motivated to shape our nation through the free exchange of ideas.
As Gen. Douglas MacArthur once famously proclaimed: “No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.”
As Americans, we must take responsibility for the defense of our liberty from threats both foreign and domestic by thrusting off the sense of apathy that has enveloped our country. We must be aware of what is going on in Washington and sufficiently informed to discern for ourselves whether our government is behaving justly, submitting to the Constitution as the supreme law of the land and sufficiently protecting the liberties guaranteed to us by the founders. If the men and women in Washington are doing all of these things, then as the voting populace, we have done well in selecting America’s leaders. If, on the other hand, they are not, the blame does not lie with the politicians; rather, we are responsible. We failed to select competent representation for ourselves.
George Bernard Shaw said it this way: “Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.”
If we cringe at the actions of our representatives, the First Amendment protects our right to publicly voice our opinions and, thereby, impact our nation on two levels. Primarily, as constituents, our beliefs have direct bearing on the activities in Washington. Secondarily, we have the power to use our personal beliefs to influence popular opinion, thereby shaping the face of America.
Although President Barack Obama proclaims, “One voice can change the world,” the difficulty is in having that voice heard and truly considered by the masses.
Many Americans treat politics as their hobby, avidly seeking out opinions that mirror their own, while disregarding any information that counters what their political camp believes to be true. By tuning into Rush Limbaugh’s radio program, watching Fox News broadcasts and reading The Wall Street Journal, conservatives can easily immerse themselves in a world where all they hear regards the merits of Republicanism and the evils of the Democratic Party. Likewise, liberals can escape conservatism entirely by watching only MSNBC, heralding the opinions of Rachel Maddow and treating The New York Times as a substitute for the Bible.
It is this aspect of our polarized society that John F. Kennedy was referring to when he said “too often, we . . . enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.” We devalue the expression of opinion when we draw a line through society and adopt an “us vs. them” mentality.
The articulation of our political opinions will hold very little democratic value until we learn to think independently, to expose ourselves to both sides of an argument and to question the “talking points” perfected by spin artists who come out of Washington. We live in a scary society dominated by politics but nearly devoid of civil discourse.
I believe our nation is in dire need of a second American revolution, not one in which we overthrow a tyrannical government, but one in which we, the people, abandon our apathy, denounce Washington’s political spin and begin to truly examine our own beliefs as well as those held by the opposition. When we choose, once again, to engage our minds rather than just our emotions in our vital role as citizens, the expression of our opinion will be restored to its proper place of power: as the foundation of American democracy.
Rachel Conry is a senior AP government student and member of the We the People Team at Vestavia Hills High School. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org