This week has dredged up thoughts and questions about free speech. While I abhor name calling and meanness from all people, I'm finding hope in history as history does seem to repeat itself!
This text later appeared in “Doonesbury” on Sunday, February 10, 2002. I have a vague recollection of reading it in an old fashioned newspaper. There was a lot of strife back in 2002 as you might remember as we reeled from 9-1-1 strikes, and I might have overlooked the quote except my brother mentioned Theodore Roosevelt in conversation soon after.
Here's the part that is interesting part as free speech becomes a hot button topic this week. Theodore Roosevelt was a progressive Republican who ultimately formed a third “Progressive” party when he lost reelection ultimately resulting in Wilson being elected President.
Roosevelt opposed the excesses of big business, but wanted the U.S. to grow by taking land, such as Panama. As he watched from the sidelines after losing to Wilson, Roosevelt regularly attacked Wilson’s conduct of the war in a substantial body of writing. As you can imagine, even then, not everyone agreed with Wilson and his actions in WWI including the draft and Wilson sought to crush First Amendment Rights for the greater good leading to this quote, from Roosevelt:
To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
I am guessing Roosevelt never imagined I would quote him in 2025, or maybe that is why he wrote it down?
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