Warren Watson First Thoughts blog
Indianapolis Star for Monday Sept.  24

First Amendment protects unpopular speech, too

Every now and then, tantalizing news events test the delicate edges of the First Amendment, the central plank in our nation’s Bill of Rights.

Take flag burning, which I personally detest.  But I would defend to the hilt the right of any American to do so as flag-burning is protected as a form of political protest under the 1989 U.S. Supreme Court decision Texas vs. Johnson.

Then there’s this week’s New York visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a towering (6-foot-3) Islamicist who’s in need of a good shave -- and a pronounciation guide for his last name. For the record, it’s mah-MOOD ahh-mah-dee-nee-ZHAHD.

Ahmadinejad has been vilified on multiple continents for his radical views,  which Time magazine characterizes as “belligerent, naïve and dark.” Since his election two years ago, he has challenged President Bush to a political debate on U.S.-Iran relations and suggested that Israel be moved to Europe or Alaska.

Ahmadinejad was visiting New York City to speak at the United Nations.  Along the way, he was invited to speak at a Columbia University function. Some protestors decried him and challenged his right to speech.  Columbia president Leo Bollinger, who invited him, sparred with him during his talk on Monday afternoon, calling him a “petty” dictator.

Our First Amendment was developed to protect the airing of unorthodox views, unpopular ideas, and dissent. James Madison and Co. were convinced our new nation – born of radicalism itself – could tolerate diversity and unpopular opinions.

Even as some questioned whether the Columbia episode is really a free speech issue, a vigorous argument ensued in the last days. Everyone checked in. Should he have been allowed to speak?  I say “yes.”

The New York Daily News joined the detractors, calling Ahmadinejad a “hate-spewing prez.” Other demonstrators criticized the Iranian president, but defended his right to speak.

One fact does remains: a measure of a great nation is the degree to which dissent is allowed – even encouraged -- in the public square. Our country encourages free speech. Ahmadinejad’s Iran does not.

In our history, we have made forward progress through tolerance, not censorship.  The road to understanding goes right through a speaker’s podium, nailed down firmly to that First Amendment plank.