Today, the nation celebrates Constitution Day. The Constitution is an interesting document. For more than 200 years, it has guided our country and given us a legal foundation upon which our entire society is based. But it has also become something of a cliché, especially in regard to the five pillars of the First Amendment. We have all grown up knowing that we have certain inalienable rights that cannot and should not be taken from us, and in many ways we have taken that knowledge for granted. Many on this campus cannot name the five pillars of the First Amendment – the five basic rights that define us as Americans. It is too easy for us to say that our right to speak freely and to worship the God of our choice cannot be infringed upon by any governmental action, but what does this mean? Why does it matter? This board is composed of journalists who work every day under the protection of the First Amendment. Too often we are guilty of taking for granted the fact that our career is made possible by a group of men in Pennsylvania who thought to include the words “of the press” in the Bill of Rights. It only takes a quick glance through an international newspaper to find instances where human beings are denied their fundamental right to speak freely, to practice their religion, to have an unfettered press, to peaceably assemble or to petition their government. In Thailand just yesterday, Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin “terminated” both houses of the country’s parliament and its constitutional court, declaring himself acting prime minister. To Americans, the idea of something like this occurring in our own country is absurd. On this day, this Constitution Day, we ask the members of our University’s community to stop for a moment and think about how good we have it. But we also ask that you do not just set aside one day a year to celebrate an antiquated document. No, we ask that you take its idea, carry it in your mind and wear your rights as badges of honor throughout your life. Documents are subject to the wears of time, but your freedoms are not. Enjoy them.
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