Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. They belong to Aaron Sorkin.
I don't get anything from this `cept a soapbox to stand on.
Author's note: A recent report from the Freedom Forum recently
came out. As a journalist, I was horrified at Americans' apathy toward
the 1st Amendment. So I wrote this. This is my first WW fanfic on this
list (great list, BTW!) It's a bit idealistic. You've been
warned.
THE FIRST
By bluejeans
The White House, Monday, July 10. 7:30 p.m. We join the White House
senior staff in the middle of a meeting in the Oval Office.
Leo: OK, so that's the plan for tomorrow. Questions?
<The staff ad libs "no" answers.>
President: How'd we do today? Any major problems I need to know
about? Leo?
Leo: Other than having a Republican controlled Congress, no.
President: That's our problem every day. Josh?
Josh: I've just been rounding up votes on 440. It looks like we
could be short. But there's still two weeks until the vote, so I'll
let you know if there's actually a problem in a week.
President: Right. Toby?
Toby: Are we still going to say "and together we can step into a
bold new world" at the whiny college student speech?
President: Yes.
Toby. Must we?
President: Yes. We're saying the line *and* doing the whiny
college student speech. By the way, why do you call it that?
Toby: Because you're giving it to whiny college students. OK, the
line stays. If I wrote it out you'd probably willfully ad lib me
anyway, that that's a habit I want you to avoid. On another note,
a person who shall remain nameless is still having trouble with his
verbs.
President: I'm not having this conversation. Sam?
Sam: An unnamed person has been threatening to flog me with bits of
grammar.
President: Now I'm *really* not having this conversation. CJ?
CJ: Uh . . . well sir . . . no, it's nothing.
President: You sure?
CJ: Yeah.
President: Suit yourself. Good job today, everyone. Get out of here.
I know you can't stand to be away from me, but try to get home before
midnight. Good night.
<The staff ad libs "good nights" and all leave except CJ.>
President: Is there something I can do for you, CJ?
CJ: Sir, it's just that . . . well . . . Mr. President, have you
seen this report?
President: CJ, just now I have 10 or 12 reports on my desk. Could you
be a little more specific?
CJ: I'm sorry sir. The report on the 1st Amendment from
America's Council on Freedom.
President: Ah . . . I saw that it was out. I haven't had a chance
to read it in much detail.
CJ: Sir, it's a bit disturbing. Mr. President, 11% of the
American population disagrees with the statement `Newspapers should be
allowed to publish freely without government approval of a story.'
That's not a big number, but it's big enough. The report concludes that
Americans think that the 1st Amendment should be protected, *except*
when it protects the airing of views people find offensive.
President: And what's wrong with that?
CJ: Sir!
President: I'm just kidding, CJ. But consider this: Americans can
see the power of speech. They look at the Internet and find specific
directions for building a bomb. They turn on the radio and hear
lyrics that make their ears burn. They walk down the street and
someone hands them a pamphlet that disparages a particular group.
They see investigative reports in newscasts that could destroy
someone's life. Their kids can turn on cable and watch programs
that are a hair away from being obscene. And these decent, hard working
Americans see all of this and say `people shouldn't be able
to say such things. The government should do something about all this
smut.'
CJ: I can see your point, sir. I don't like all any more than any
other decent, hardworking American. It just . . . I can hear Thomas
Jefferson, George Washington, Thomas Paine and the original Josiah
Bartlett turning in their graves. I don't think Americans realize
what they are so casually giving away.
President: No, they don't.
CJ: I mean, who decides what is offensive? It's a slippery slope.
First we say that vulgar lyrics are illegal. Fine, great, we've
rid society of a menace. But then someone decides newspapers can't
expose corrupt public official because it will hurt someone's feelings.
Then I can't post my mother's secret recipe for roast on the
Internet because it will offend vegetarians. Then we can't publish copies
of the Constitution because it will offend anti-government activists.
Where does it end?
President: It's a fine line, isn't it? The government has a
responsibility to protect its citizens from damage. It also must
protect the rights of its citizens. What do we do when these two
responsibilities clash?
CJ: `Congress shall make *no* law abridging the freedom of
speech,' sir.
President: Perhaps that is the easiest way. We allow absolutely open
dialogue on everything at the risk of allowing terrible things to
happen. Perhaps that is the burden a democratic society must bear. We
must allow the bad so we don't accidentally forbid the good. They
don't have problems like this in dictatorships. But CJ, I
don't think the framers of the Constitution could ever have dreamed of all the
ways we've thought of to abuse 1st Amendment rights.
CJ: We're back to your question. What do we do?
President: We make do with what we have. We listen to the 89% of
people who didn't think government should pre-approve newspaper
stories. We tell people to protect themselves as best they can. And
someday, if it is required, the framers of the Constitution allowed
us a way to change things. Perhaps a new amendment will
read "Congress has the right to abridge speech when things get
really bad."
CJ: Sir, that scares me.
President: I know. It scares me too. I guess we'll just have to
trust The People. The freedom of speech is a gift for everyone that
crumbles all barriers and bridges all gaps. If everyone used this
freedom, I think it would create a roar of greatness and majesty that
would fill our ears and hearts with hope. Then the words of those who
would abuse the gift would be as insignificant as a grain of sand on
a beach. CJ, It isn't called the 1st Amendment for nothing.
Americans will guard it. They must.
CJ: I hope you're right sir.
President: I do too.
CJ: Anyway, I have to release this report to a room full of
journalists tomorrow, so I need to go over it again. We might want to
have medics nearby, because this could kill the whole press corp.
President: Well if it was that easy, we should have released it a
year ago. Life would be more enjoyable with a dead press corp. Maybe
then they wouldn't ask so many questions.
CJ: Sir . . .
President: Goodnight, CJ