Feelings now trump constitutional right to free speech Re: “How to kill the First Amendment,” May 25
In 2002, George Mason University law school professor David Bernstein published a book called “You Can’t Say That!” which discussed various ways that speech is severely curtailed in America. This curtailment is particularly prevalent the moment an individual enters into an official relationship with an institution such as a government agency, university, corporation, etc.
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In the name of “political correctness,” free speech is also strongly punished if it offends somebody’s feelings, especially the feelings of demographic groups upon whom the government looks with special favor. “Hate speech” laws, as well as laws against sexual harassment, arbitrarily curtail Americans’ freedom of speech without requiring any substantive evidence of damage.
Apparently in our day, protecting people against all possible emotional injury trumps First Amendment free-speech rights.
Lawrence K. Marsh
Gaithersburg
Magnet school admissions should be more objective
Re: “Dumbing it down, even at Thomas Jefferson High School,” Local Editorial, May 22
I recently attended an admissions forum for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology for rising eighth-graders at mydaughters’ well-regarded Fairfax County middle school.
At this forum, a student’s particular family circumstances (homelessness was the example given) were highlighted as influential in the selection process.
Such circumstancesdo merit consideration. However, in the context of the lack of academic preparedness of entering freshmen students highlighted by your recent article and editorial, it seems clear that it is time to give objective criteria more weight.
Roger B. Wagner
Vienna
Bill Clinton doesn’t deserve to be so popular
On her May 22 program, Andrea Mitchell and a guest made much ado about the “likability” factor in politics, saying that President Obama is campaigning with former President Clinton to take advantage of Clinton’s popularity.
We live in a strange country. Judge Susan Webber Wright found, by “clear and convincing evidence,” that then-President Clinton intentionally gave false testimony under oath.Perhaps Bill Clinton is so popular now because Judge Wright’s finding has been relegated to oblivion by the mainstream media.
By campaigning with Bill Clinton, is President Obama telling us that it really doesn’t matter that his companion in arms on the campaign trail was so indifferent to the rule of law?
If the mainstream media actually did their job and kept reminding the public that Bill Clinton thumbed his nose at the law, the perception of him — and of President Obama — might be different.
Nathan Dodell
Rockville
