What We Believe:

- We believe in the First Amendment, specifically, in this case, the portion that is underlined.

“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.”

-         We believe that this right is not absolute and that it should not be unfettered. One does not have the “right” to yell “fire” in a crowded theatre or “bomb” in a sold-out arena.

-         We believe in vigorous debate, a robust marketplace and in a wide platform for ideas, opinions and beliefs. However, if something is presented as an opinion or belief, it should be labeled as such (i.e. “In my opinion…..” or “I believe that…..”)

-         We believe that dissent is a necessary and important part of a democracy.

-         We believe that discourse should be civil and respectful except, perhaps, when civilty and respect are not appropriate (Timothy McVeigh and Osama bin Laden come to mind).

-         We believe that while anyone has the right to suggest that someone else is wrong, if they do so they have an obligation to offer alternatives. It’s a question of “privileges” (the “right” to free speech) being coupled with “responsibilities.”

What We Don’t Believe

-         We don’t believe in unsubstiated name calling. If some is being labeled as a racist, a bigot, an anti-Semite, etc., in a public forum, of any kind, the person making that assertion should be required to provide concrete and verifiable evidence, in support of their claim(s).

-         We don’t believe that debate needs to be rancorous or disrespectful. A “dream team” would seen William F. Buckley Jr. opposed by Mario Cuomo. They would probably agree on almost nothing but would do so in a manner that reflects the fact that, for the most part, we are a civilized country.

-         We don’t believe that the majority of the American public measure the validity of statements according to how loud, or how often, they are said.

-         We don’t believe in demagogery –the appeal to emotions and prejudices. The facts, when presented, should be able to speak for themselves.

-         We don’t believe in the far, far right. We don’t believe in the far, far left.

-         We don’t believe that just because someone is given access to a microphone, a television camera, a newspaper, a magazine or a web site immediately confirms that they know what they are talking about.