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Sshhhh, someone may hear you exercising free speech

Is free speech the latest casualty of the war in Iraq?

Date published: 8/3/2003

THESE ARE troubling times for Americans who cherish their freedom.

A few days ago, a public official called me over to his car to discuss his displeasure with the war in Iraq and the way the Bush administration is handling the nation's economy. This well-respected man would talk only from his vehicle, saying he was fearful of criticizing the president or his policies in public.

Before our conversation ended, the man told me of other public officials who also are fearful of speaking out. "You have to be careful what you say in public these days," he added.

I instinctively looked around to see if anyone was hiding in the gathering twilight. For a moment, I felt like I was in Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin. Never did I think I would live to see the day when an honest man was afraid to speak his mind on political issues in America.

These days, it happens all the time. For the first time in my life, I see concerned Americans who are afraid to criticize Washington.

Almost daily, someone informs me that he is scared of openly expressing his views. Even those who do dare to speak out do so in hushed tones, fearful of what ears might overhear.

In the politically charged atmosphere that exists in America today, having the wrong person hear criticism of the government can lead to trouble.

That became evident recently when an entertainer who innocently joked that President Bush had "chicken legs" was banned from performing further at Borders Books and Music in Fredericksburg.

Again, this seems to be a story from behind the Iron Curtain. But it happened right here in Fredericksburg. We are past the point where we can even joke openly.

America is now living the AM radio talk-show mentality. Those who would give the government unlimited powers are having a field day, and they never fail to try and intimidate those who would argue that our rights are being stolen away.

Not since the Joseph McCarthy communist witch hunts of the early 1950s have Americans been so afraid of speaking out. Now, as in those troubling days, criticism of the government is viewed as anti-American.

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Date published: 8/3/2003