Freedom of the press is freedom of speech with a bullhorn. The average newspaper, radio or TV station knocks on the doors of thousands of Vermont homes and says “I have something important to tell you.” The press is a powerful public good. It must be protected from government suppression.
Today’s News: Seven school districts refuse to question students about Thanksgiving / WRJ drug use, homelessness increase feared / Bar associations won’t back First Amendment resolution / Covid-19 vaccine protest banner removed
A few days ago, I asked my colleagues in Caledonia County Bar to urge the Vermont Bar Association to take up the resolution. The response? I was verbally assaulted and publicly shamed. Lawyers said that the resolution was “right wing lunacy”, called my defense of the First Amendment “crazy rantings”, and said my proposal was “raw politics”. Several lawyers told me to stop sending messages—they were busy. One lawyer told me to go home and lie down.
