Know your rights or you will lose them – Daily News

If America’s faculties are to impart rules of freedom and democracy to future generations, they have to begin by respecting the constitutional rights of their college students

Take the case of Lucas Hudson.

With all of the unfavorable press being written about immediately’s younger individuals, it’s refreshing to fulfill a teenager who not solely is aware of his rights however is ready to face up for them.

Lucas is a great child, a valedictorian of his graduating class on the Collegiate Academy at Armwood Excessive Faculty in Hillsborough County, Fla.

So, when faculty officers gave Lucas an ultimatum: both take away most of his speech’s non secular references from his commencement speech—through which he thanked the individuals who helped form his character, mirrored on how shortly time goes by, and urged individuals to make use of no matter time they’ve to like others and serve the God who loves us—or he wouldn’t be talking in any respect, Lucas refused to forfeit his rights.

That’s when Lucas’s father turned to The Rutherford Institute for assist.

In coming to Lucas’ protection, attorneys for The Rutherford Institute warned faculty officers that their makes an attempt to browbeat Lucas into watering down his commencement speech might expose the college to a First Modification lawsuit.

Fortunately for Lucas, the college backed down, and he was capable of ship his speech as written.

It doesn’t all the time work out so nicely, sadly.

Over the course of The Rutherford Institute’s 42-year historical past, we now have defended numerous younger individuals who discovered themselves censored, silenced and denied their fundamental First Modification rights, particularly once they selected to train their rights to free speech and spiritual freedom.

In case after case, we encounter an appalling degree of ignorance on the a part of public faculty officers who mistakenly consider that the legislation requires something non secular be banned from public faculties.

Right here’s the place authorities officers get it mistaken: whereas the federal government might not set up or compel a selected faith, it additionally might not silence and suppress non secular speech merely as a result of others would possibly take offense.

Individuals are free to disregard, disagree with, or counter the non secular speech of others, however the authorities can not censor personal non secular speech.

Sadly, you may solely defend your rights when you understand them, and the American individuals—and people who symbolize them—are totally ignorant about their freedoms, historical past, and the way the federal government is meant to function.

As Morris Berman factors out in his e book Darkish Ages America, “70 p.c of American adults can not title their senators or congressmen; greater than half don’t know the precise variety of senators, and almost 1 / 4 can not title a single proper assured by the First Modification. Sixty-three percent cannot name the three branches of government. Different research reveal that uninformed or undecided voters typically vote for the candidate whose title and packaging (e.g., emblem) are essentially the most highly effective; shade is seemingly a significant component of their determination.”

Greater than authorities corruption and ineptitude, police brutality, terrorism, gun violence, medicine, unlawful immigration or another so-called “hazard” that threatens our nation, civic illiteracy could also be what lastly pushes us over the sting.

As Thomas Jefferson warned, no nation will be each ignorant and free.

Sadly, the American individuals have existed in a technology-laden, entertainment-fueled, perpetual state of cluelessness for therefore lengthy that civic illiteracy has develop into the brand new regular for the citizenry.

But those that based this nation knew fairly nicely that each citizen should stay vigilant or freedom can be misplaced. As Thomas Paine acknowledged, “It’s the accountability of the patriot to guard his nation from its authorities.”

You don’t have any rights except you train them.

Nonetheless, you may’t train your rights except you understand what these rights are.

Schooling precedes motion.

There’s a motion underway to require that all public-school students pass the civics portion of the U.S. naturalization test—100 basic facts about U.S. history and civics—earlier than receiving their high-school diploma, and that’s a begin.

Lucas Hudson would have handed such a take a look at with flying colours.

On commencement day, Lucas stepped as much as the rostrum and delivered his uncensored valedictorian speech as written, with none interference by faculty censors.

As Lucas’s father relayed to The Rutherford Institute:

“In the long run, Lucas received to provide his whole speech the best way he needed to provide it, and all people was paying consideration.  No person received damage.  Nothing unhealthy occurred.  It was only a younger man utilizing the First Modification rights to talk his thoughts relating to his private beliefs. [Lucas] by no means thought a number of sentences in a speech would create such an issue in his world, however this speech became a defining second for him.  He won’t ever be the identical after this expertise, however this everlasting change is an effective factor.  When it mattered, Lucas stood up for himself, and when these he stood up in opposition to tried to push him down, [The Rutherford Institute] got here to his aide and backed him as much as make it a good battle. I’m comforted to know you’re defending the rights of the individuals.  These fights matter.  Each time you defend the rights of 1 individual, you defend the rights of each individual.  You helped my son battle for his rights in opposition to the college, and, in doing so, Hillsborough County Public Faculties will assume twice earlier than infringing on the rights of future college students. Your protection of Lucas grew to become an inspiration for the scholars in his faculty and sparked a wholesome and significant debate among the many academics, college students, and fogeys concerning the worth of the First Modification and the necessity for limits on authorities management over our private beliefs.  You might be combating for good and doing vital work.  Don’t ever cease. Thanks, Rutherford Institute, for being there for my son when he wanted you most.”