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 Sunday spread: 'It would mean a diminishing of debate' 01/14/01 - Philadelphia Inquirer Larry Frankel is the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania. "I think one of the things that can happen [if First Amendment rights are not protected] is people become wary of going out to protest. Another thing is people will stop funding efforts to hold demonstrations because they don't want to be associated with controversy. It would certainly mean that voices of dissent from the status quo would be heard less often. Policies would go unchallenged more frequently than they otherwise would be. It would mean a diminishing of debate over issues of public importance. We'd all rather do our business without someone criticizing us. But the First Amendment allows vigorous debate. Would civil-rights legislation have happened in this country without sit-ins at lunch counters and marches in D.C.? How long would the Vietnam War have gone on if people didn't demonstrate against it? Society's awareness of a range of social problems would be reduced because there would be fear and anxiety about expressing those opinions. There would be uniformity of thought and great adherence to the status quo. Another consequence would be our standing in the world as the protector of freedom. I think most Americans take great pride in the fact that the world looks to us as the bastion of freedom and democracy. Was Philadelphia a serious setback? It's hard to know at this point. It's less serious when courts stand up and reduce bail and throw out charges. If the courts hadn't done that, then we would have had a real serious threat." |
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