The Bill of Rights is no Dan Brown read, but over the past few weeks I have seen events that present questions about which we should all be concerned.
The principles of the amendments have played a crucial role in the three most talked about news stories lately.
Amendment I: Don Imus
Americans are guaranteed the right to free speech, as long as their speech does not include “nappy-headed hos.” Two weeks ago, radio personality Don Imus was fired for using that derogatory comment toward the Rutgers women’s basketball team. Now, I realize that “Imus in the Morning” was dropped by private sector companies who have the right to drop any show regardless of the amendment, but shouldn’t the ideals of the Constitution hold true in our entire culture? Aren’t all Americans called to respect what someone else says? Just because it’s not something you want to hear does not give you the right to subject them to public ridicule.
One of the reasons the first amendment was placed into the Constitution was because those who wrote it were free speakers. Ben Franklin’s rhetoric might be slightly different than that of Imus’s verbiage, but Franklin’s purpose of breaking away from the crown was a drastic idea at that time. It is the principle of free speech that allows all opinions to be heard. As Bill O’Reilly put it in his Open VISIONS forum last fall, “If you don’t like my content, change the channel.”
Amendment II: Virginia Tech
On April 16, a shooting at Virginia Tech killed 33 people. Last week’s tragedy in Blacksburg, Va., has brought about a tremendous amount of debate as to our right to bear arms. While it is legal to purchase firearms in the state of Virginia, it is an illegal purchase for anyone who is not a permanent resident, as was the case with Cho Seung-Hui, the student responsible for the shootings. Many pro-gun advocates will conclude that gun laws could have prevented this if they were regulated properly. They will say that this was the act of one disturbed individual and does not reflect the acts of most gun owners. Gun owners will advocate their responsibility with guns, excluding Vice President Dick Cheney, and state that this was no accident. To an extent, they are right. If someone could die from a car when it was used improperly, does that mean we should stop driving?
Amendments V and VI: Duke
We are innocent until proven guilty, unless we play for the Duke lacrosse team. A media uproar, two expelled students, a fired coach and a cancelled season with national title implications is a little much for a couple of preppy kids who were, dare I say, innocent. Among those to call the boys out were black political leaders Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. If Sharpton and Jackson were judges, then Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann, two of the Duke lacrosse players accused of sexually assaulting a stripper, would be on death row. While neither of the boys will be going to jail, the incident will follow them wherever they go.
Just as it is said that a Heisman Trophy winner will be introduced as one for the rest of his life, Finnerty, Seligmann and now graduated David Evans, will forever be linked to the controversy. I would tell them to behave themselves in the future, but they did a year ago too, and we know what happened with that.
It is clear that the values our forefathers impressed on society have not been upheld. Yet, the importance of these values is still tremendously present. If America was at the high point after we wrote the Constitution, then it’s time to reread that timeless text and interpret it in its present context.
Leave a Reply