David Hill

Throughout our lives we will ask many questions. Asking “why” can often provide us with invaluable knowledge about a specific subject or about ourselves. Some of the greatest teachers and philosophers were those who directed their students to consider and answer the question, “Why?” 

As a new columnist with this paper, I find myself asking many questions like: What do I want to write about, who am I writing this for, how should I organize my thoughts, but most importantly, why am I doing this? Two reasons are apparent to me: Civics and civility.

When studying the Bill of Rights, I think about why different rights are grouped into specific amendments. I contend that the pillars of the First Amendment are bound together to ensure our right or freedom to think for ourselves. 

The idea that the pillars of the First Amendment ensure the right of the people to think for themselves can be shown in a brief discussion of what each of those pillars protects. As a refresher, the First Amendment protects (1) the Freedom of Religion through the Establishment and Free Exercise clauses, (2)  the Freedom of Speech, (3) the Freedom of the Press, (4) the Freedom to Assemble and (5) the Freedom to Petition. 

How then do these various freedoms result in the freedom to think? The Freedom of Religion simultaneously allows us to seek out and determine what is moral and just and prohibits the government from making those determinations for us. The Freedom of Speech allows us to express aloud our beliefs and thoughts without fear of government retaliation. The Freedom of the Press guarantees the ability to publish our thoughts and share them on a large scale. The Freedom to Assemble guarantees the ability to meet and gather to discuss, debate and demonstrate. And the Freedom to Petition guarantees that when the government oversteps, or our rights are otherwise threatened, we can make our grievances known and seek safe harbor through the law. 

Together, these rights build upon one another and allow us to develop a marketplace of ideas — a place where thoughts are exchanged, developed and refined. It is this marketplace that allows us to ask, and possibly even answer, that all important “Why?” 

This is a process that must be done with much care to both form and substance. When we discuss our constitutional rights, we must be careful to avoid thinking of our rights in an arbitrary way or take them for granted, as these are the rights that we hold most near and dear to our hearts. Further, we must show the utmost civility when engaging in this type of discourse. For many, it is nearly impossible to discuss these rights without allowing their passionate beliefs to overflow into the discussion; however, we must always remember to treat each other with civility. 

For direction on what it means to treat each other civilly, I would suggest considering the words of George Washington, who wrote in his Rules of Civility, “Every Action done in Company, ought to be with Some Sign of Respect, to those that are Present.” And “[l]et your Conversation be without Malice or Envy, for ‘tis a Sign of a Tractable and Commendable Nature: And in all Causes of Passion admit Reason to Govern.” These reminders from George Washington, and others like him, provide an example of how we should treat each other when engaging in these difficult conversations.

So again, the question, “Why write a column for a local newspaper?” Three reasons for me are (1) I believe exercising our First Amendment rights is essential to maintaining our constitutional rights, (2) I believe that maintaining civility, especially when we disagree, is crucial to participating in a successful dialogue, and (3) I love this community, this country and the Constitution. 

(David Hill is a Cody attorney.)