Those of us who shout the loudest about Americanism in making character assassinations are all too frequently those who, by our own words and acts, ignore some of the basic principles of Americanism:
The right to criticize;
The right to hold unpopular beliefs;
The right to protest;
The right of independent thought.
The exercise of these rights should not cost one single American citizen his reputation or his right to a livelihood nor should he be in danger of losing his reputation or livelihood merely because he happens to know someone who holds unpopular beliefs. Who of us doesn’t? Otherwise none of us could call our souls our own. Otherwise thought control would have set in.
--Senator Margaret Chase Smith (R-ME), "Declaration of Conscience" speech, 6/01/1950
Bless her
ReplyDeleteShe may very well have been, Ruby.
DeleteThank you for sharing this, Kirk.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Linda.
DeleteWhy is this simple wisdom under such dire threat? What ultimate cause has fuelled this turn towards autocracy and the stifling of free expression, and disdain of the media? It is troubling to say the least.
ReplyDeleteHard to say, David. The original McCarthy Era was the result of the Cold War. You can't blame the current rerun of McCarthyism on that. The Cold War ended years ago, supposedly in the U.S.' favor!
Delete1950 eh? Things really are going backwards instead of forwards. Crazy times honestly Kirk. I fear for my daughter growing up in this world.
ReplyDeleteMaybe things will go full circle, Ananka. History is like that.
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