2008 Woodie Awards
Letter to the editor
Issue date: 4/7/08 Section: Opinion
First Amendment still in place, even amid controversy
Dear Editor:
Fellow students and Kent State community members,
Perhaps the two strongest arguments for freedom of speech are the promotion of tolerance and the discovery of truth. At an institution such as Kent State, those important values are pivotal to our success.
Of course, what some view as truth can often be interpreted subjectively. This will naturally produce differences of opinions and inevitably conflict. These differences are usually embraced in a democratic society, because variety is what makes the United States so exceptional.
However, oftentimes arguments become personal and offensive. The debate surrounding abortion is frequently the example used to demonstrate this point. That debate is coming to Kent State on April 7 and 8 by an anti-abortion organization. Yet it is not simply a discussion over the issue; graphic genocide-like images will be accompanying the group. This imagery is likely to affect most of its observers on a profound level.
No matter how strongly you may feel about this issue, please keep in mind the bigger picture. That is that the First Amendment of the United States Constitution allows for peaceful demonstrations and the freedom of assembly. This amendment has enabled our country's rapid progress and adaptation. It has promoted a culturally enriched society and the free flow of ideas and expression. Without it, where would important milestones in our country such as the civil rights movement have been? The First Amendment provides rights to American citizens that millions all over the world may never experience.
I hope our campus' reactions to this demonstration reflect a tolerant, open-minded community that embraces diverse viewpoints for the sake of spreading knowledge, insight and awareness. It is admittedly difficult to do so when an issue such as this generates strong emotions, yet we can overcome feelings of discontent if we focus on the benefits of the liberty we enjoy.
Katie Hale
Executive director of Undergraduate Student Senate
Dear Editor:
Fellow students and Kent State community members,
Perhaps the two strongest arguments for freedom of speech are the promotion of tolerance and the discovery of truth. At an institution such as Kent State, those important values are pivotal to our success.
Of course, what some view as truth can often be interpreted subjectively. This will naturally produce differences of opinions and inevitably conflict. These differences are usually embraced in a democratic society, because variety is what makes the United States so exceptional.
However, oftentimes arguments become personal and offensive. The debate surrounding abortion is frequently the example used to demonstrate this point. That debate is coming to Kent State on April 7 and 8 by an anti-abortion organization. Yet it is not simply a discussion over the issue; graphic genocide-like images will be accompanying the group. This imagery is likely to affect most of its observers on a profound level.
No matter how strongly you may feel about this issue, please keep in mind the bigger picture. That is that the First Amendment of the United States Constitution allows for peaceful demonstrations and the freedom of assembly. This amendment has enabled our country's rapid progress and adaptation. It has promoted a culturally enriched society and the free flow of ideas and expression. Without it, where would important milestones in our country such as the civil rights movement have been? The First Amendment provides rights to American citizens that millions all over the world may never experience.
I hope our campus' reactions to this demonstration reflect a tolerant, open-minded community that embraces diverse viewpoints for the sake of spreading knowledge, insight and awareness. It is admittedly difficult to do so when an issue such as this generates strong emotions, yet we can overcome feelings of discontent if we focus on the benefits of the liberty we enjoy.
Katie Hale
Executive director of Undergraduate Student Senate
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 11
Mark Miller
posted 4/07/08 @ 2:27 AM EST
Katie Hale: The truth is *not* subjective. That is moral relativism.
colinmorris
Colin Morris
posted 4/07/08 @ 10:52 AM EST
I'm all about the protection of the speech rights Ms. Hale is describing. The more open discourse, the better.
However it so happens that the abortion demonstration in Rizman plaza is a sensationalistic distraction from the scientific and legal key issues surrounding the abortion debate. (Continued…)
Colin Dean
posted 4/07/08 @ 12:06 PM EST
"Seeking Truth", the images which these trucks display are of late term miscarriages, not abortion. If this group was protesting late term miscarriages then these trucks would aide us in "seeking truth", unfortunately these trucks use images of miscarriages to protest a woman's right to choose. (Continued…)
notanignoramus
posted 4/07/08 @ 9:53 PM EST
Apparently my last attempt was cut off in transmission. Please forgive me if somehow this is duplicated.
Mr. Dean,
If an abortion clinic was willing to allow a photographer in to document the end result of a late-term abortion, then I'm sure there would be photographs of that. (Continued…)
Colin Dean
posted 4/08/08 @ 12:47 PM EST
If you are not proud of your work, i.e do not include your name in your comment post, that speaks volumes about the content you present. The anti-choice comment poster once again attempts to imply that abortions are performed on fully developed fetuses. (Continued…)
Colin Morris
posted 4/08/08 @ 4:27 PM EST
No kidding, Colin Dean. Anonymous comments are among the hardest to take seriously.
notanignoramus
posted 4/09/08 @ 2:02 PM EST
Mr. Dean and Mr. Morris:
I am proud to speak out on abortion, and I consider the issue itself more important than my identity. There is also a certain vulnerability in being a woman in an open internet forum, one that as men you are unlikely to appreciate. (Continued…)
Deborah Hoffman
posted 4/10/08 @ 2:55 PM EST
Under Roe v. Wade individual states can prohibit abortion after viability (with an exception for health), but they do not have to. Ohio is one of those that does not. (Continued…)
Colin Morris
posted 4/10/08 @ 4:34 PM EST
A tip of the hat to Ms. Hoffman, particularly for the following:
"...the abortion rate in this country is unreal. We need to learn to use birth control as well as provide more opportunities for women to continue a pregnancy. (Continued…)
shaking my head in frustration
posted 4/11/08 @ 1:14 AM EST
Mr Dean and Mr Morris,
When you move on from the time in your life where your responsibilities extend beyond your own individual reputations (I'm assuming you are still in this phase of your life), you will realize that individual beliefs and opinions also come to represent those of friends, coworkers, professional offices and/or organizations (let's not forget how one pastor's lively sermons have unfairly given Obama the reputation of "racist"). (Continued…)
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