LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Freedom of Speech

Written by Stephen Baird Tuesday, 24 November 2009 08:00

I’m writing in response to Ryan McEwan’s November 20 column, “Pledging to be un-American.”

I feel the need to point out that Mr. McEwan is strongly emphasizing that “America is a great place to live” because of our freedom of speech, but is then using that same freedom to heavily imply that, in this case, a young child should not be allowed to do the same.

In his own words, “Liberty means freedom from arbitrary or despotic government or control,” but what he wants – namely for this boy to stand for the pledge of allegiance and not use his right to abstain from it as a form of protest – is in fact an arbitrary control placed on this 10-year-old’s liberty.

McEwan says of this young boy, “He wants to enjoy the freedoms ... but doesn’t want to pledge his loyalty to the country because of its imperfections.” I would argue that is a logical fallacy – at no point has this child said he is not loyal to the country he is a citizen of.

All he has done is use his constitutionally guaranteed rights to publicly advocate for social justice by refusing to say the Pledge of Allegiance in a public place. That is little different from a well-known activist going on a hunger strike to bring attention to a social issue.

Yes, America is a work in progress, but the only way to bring about that progress is to make everyone aware of the work that needs to be done.

I don’t know why Mr. McEwan is so dead set against this particular method of garnering awareness, but his own statements repeatedly undermine his position.

Whatever your personal motives Mr. McEwan, you have attacked a 10-year-old boy for exercising his freedoms in a socially conscious way while touting those same freedoms.

You can’t have it both ways: either he’s free to protest injustices he sees in his own public way, or our freedoms are worthless.

Stephen Baird is a senior studying physics.