Commentary - July 2006

Two Endangered Species: Freedom of Speech and Religion

by Lyle Brennan

First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

The Clark County School District literally “pulled the plug” on two of America’s most basic Constitutional rights when it refused to allow Brittany McComb to finish her valedictory speech in June. Brittany was chosen as valedictorian of Foothill High School in Henderson on the basis of her 4.7 GPA. Brittany reasoned that since most student speeches mention parents, teachers or others who have had an impact on their lives, it would be acceptable for her to talk about the biggest influence on her life – Jesus Christ. So she included references to God and Christ and quoted some Biblical passages in her speech.

School district policy requires all students speaking at graduation ceremonies to have their speeches approved in advance, but district administrators had a problem with this particular speech, not because it was poorly written, but because Brittany had the audacity to mention God and Christ in it. They told her to take out the religious references because of the district’s policy against “proselytizing.”

Brittany stood by her principles and gave the speech she had planned. When she mentioned the power of God’s love, the audience cheered, but before she got to the reference to Christ, her microphone was cut off. This led to booing in the audience, and also to quite an uproar (justifiably so) in the press, including national news media.

The ACLU is backing the school district’s policy, which is apparently based on rulings by activist courts intent on removing all references to religion in America. Their reasoning is that a graduation ceremony is sponsored by a government organization (the school district), and the “separation of church and state” doctrine therefore forbids any state-sponsored religious references. This is ridiculous on two fronts: first of all, as any student of the Constitution can tell you, the words “separation of church and state” don’t appear anywhere in that document. In fact, I’m willing to bet the Founding Fathers would have been horrified at the idea of removing all religious references from government. What is mentioned in the Constitution is a guarantee that people can freely exercise their religion.

Secondly, what about Brittany’s freedom of speech – a phrase which definitely does appear in the Constitution? She worked hard to earn the right to address her fellow students on graduation day and tell her own story. She attributed her success in school to Christ and to Biblical truths, and wanted to share that with others. “My speech was about who I am,” she said in an interview on the Hannity and Colmes television show. “They denied me my free speech and the right to be what I am and what God has made me to be.”

A blog sponsored by the College Conservative Movement shows that students close to Brittany’s age are supporting her. Here’s one quote from its postings: “No matter how hard the ACLU tries, they will not be able to change the fact that our nation’s history and culture is full of Christianity. It is also full of other religions. Our forefathers would never have dreamed of someone’s speech being censored because of its religious content. It is likely that they would cite in their argument two things in the bill of rights that the ACLU often fights to defend. In America, we have freedom of speech. In America, we have freedom of religion. If the left wants to defend those rights, then defend those rights. Don’t defend them only when it’s convenient for your base.”

The fact that Brittany McComb was willing to stand up for her principles and give her speech gives me hope for the future of this country. I am also glad to hear she plans a career in journalism. We need more young people like her who are willing to make sacrifices for their beliefs, and we need more people of voting age to support those principles in the voting booth.

Congratulations, Brittany. We’re proud of you.

Lyle Brennan Publisher
COMMENTS? email: lyle@nbj.com