I haven’t talked about the FBI Library Awareness Program that has morphed into the USA Patriot Act. That is not specifically about direct censorship, but it has a chilling effect on people when they think that someone with the authority to put them in jail is going to be checking on what they read and view. Not to mention the gag order directed against librarians.

I haven’t talked about the attack on Upshur County Library. You could call an attempt to shut down a whole library an ultimate sort of censorship.

But let’s remember that we still have the protection of the First Amendment. It stands firmly against the censor’s arrogance. It guarantees that the majority eill not dictate the speech, thought or taste of the individual. It warns that the democratic ideal fails its magnificent promise unless we recognize that fear and ignorance are never a match for courage and confidence – and yes, confrontation – in the defense of free expression.

It is not enough to teach the First Amendment. Or to defend it when it seems convenient. We must model the First Amendment also. Not just for the kids or our colleagues. But for the censors, too.

Censorship is always imposed for the best of reasons with the worst of results. No matter what technologies we may concoct to communicate our speech, or what new era we may find ourselves in, the nature of speech itself never changes. It must be free to be meaningful.