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In a Perfect World, the Government Would Protect Our Rights, But....
by Potomac Tea Party October 5, 2018 |
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We don’t live in a perfect world. Take the Trump administration proposal to charge people fees for holding protests, for example. Critics say it would be an infringement on freedom of speech.
And so it would be, but previous Presidents have done far worse:
It’s undeniable that throughout American history Presidents have often suppressed freedom of speech. This doesn’t make possibly having to pay protest fees a good thing, but it does put it into perspective.
The lesson, as always, remains: freedom not only isn’t free, it’s precious, and often under siege, even in our own free nation.
Its price is eternal vigilance in this imperfect world.
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Our thanks to Ed Moser for the historical information.
Ed Moser was a speechwriter to President George H. W. Bush and writer for Jay Leno's The Tonight Show. Ed's latest work is an e-book, a political satire called, Foundering Fathers: What Jefferson, Franklin, and Abigail Adams Saw in Modern D.C.!
And so it would be, but previous Presidents have done far worse:
- President John Adams instituted the Alien and Sedition Acts that jailed some journalists and politicians speaking out against the federal government.
- Congress in the 1830's, with the support of President Jackson, placed a gag order on debates over slavery.
- President Lincoln, to save the Union, suspended habeas corpus in many locales and arrested newspaper editors who disagreed with his administration. (Sorry, Lincoln fans, but it’s true.)
- President Wilson revived the alien and sedition laws to detain and imprison thousands of dissidents during World War I.
- President Franklin Roosevelt detained Japanese-Americans on a massive scale.
- FDR and President Nixon used the IRS against political enemies.
- President Obama’s aides turned the IRS loose on Tea Parties, conservative groups, and political campaign groups opposed to his administration.
It’s undeniable that throughout American history Presidents have often suppressed freedom of speech. This doesn’t make possibly having to pay protest fees a good thing, but it does put it into perspective.
The lesson, as always, remains: freedom not only isn’t free, it’s precious, and often under siege, even in our own free nation.
Its price is eternal vigilance in this imperfect world.
_____________________________________
Our thanks to Ed Moser for the historical information.
Ed Moser was a speechwriter to President George H. W. Bush and writer for Jay Leno's The Tonight Show. Ed's latest work is an e-book, a political satire called, Foundering Fathers: What Jefferson, Franklin, and Abigail Adams Saw in Modern D.C.!