On What Used to be Free Speech

"Under the First Amendment there is no such thing as a false idea. However pernicious an opinion may seem, we depend for its correction not on the conscience of judges and juries but on the competition of other ideas."

Let me tell you, I found Justice Powell’s words thrilling. Can you think of anything that more succinctly sums up what America used to be all about? I can’t.

Now please notice, I said "used to be." Not "is." And that’s because I think we talk a good game where the right of free speech is concerned. But we don’t play it.

A good case in point is what happened to Jimmy the Greek who had made a perfectly valid point during a sports event some years ago to the effect that black slaves had been bred by their owners for strength and stamina. He was canned by CBS within 24 hours.

And who can forget what the Los Angeles Dodgers did to Al Campanis for exercising his right of free speech. Clumsily, perhaps, but not intentionally vicious, I don’t believe.

And more recently, pro golfer Fuzzy Zoeller lost the sponsorship of Walmart because of something he said about Tiger Woods. Something that even Mr. Woods himself shrugged off.

But there’s one saving grace to all the hypocrisy that today surrounds the issue of free speech. Ultimately, when the chips are really down, when the issue involved is of the most crucial nature, free speech in this country does prevail.

Unless, of course, some "insensitive" clod is doing the talking. You know, like Jimmy thre Greek, Al Campanis, or Fuzzy Zoeller. We can't have that, now, can we?

Oh well, I guess it's back to the drawing board. 

Think about it.