Examples of self censorship during the last few weeks are abounding, and they need to stop.

One of the Dixie Chicks a few weeks ago said she was ashamed President Bush is from Texas. The country music group had to retract the statement after facing threats of radio stations and music stores pulling their music.

This is simply ludicrous. The basic rules of the First Amendment say people can say they are ashamed of their President. The President especially can be criticized solely because of his public figure status.

No one should have to retract a statement just because a portion of the population does not like it.

All the backlash being unleashed in reaction to people speaking against the situation in Iraq is unacceptable. People who make statements and publish opinions against the war are criticized for being un-American or for abusing their freedom of speech.

Those who are against the war are not un-American. People should not have to retract statements of their opinion. That practice is one to be expected in Iraq, the country the United States is fighting – not in the United States.

Not everyone agrees with every opinion published. That is the beauty of the opinion function of a newspaper.

Furthermore, the attempts to quash the ideas of those against the war is self censorship. Americans cannot let it continue.

A number of different recent happenings should make people more aware of the potential risks Americans are putting themselves under, but unfortunately, they do not realize it.

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals made an important decision Thursday, one that everyone should be aware of, although many probably aren’t.

The court ruled on a censorship case initiated by the student newspaper, The Innovator, at Governor’s State University against the administration’s attempts to censor that paper.

Not only should student journalists be aware of this case and the significance of its outcome, but every other student should be aware as well. This seems especially timely considering the current conflict going in Iraq.

Nearly half the people in this country now think freedom of speech goes too far, and that statistic is quite frightening.

This country’s founding fathers placed freedom of speech in the first amendment because it was important to them. Especially in this time of conflict, the people of this country need to realize the amendment’s importance.

Although the Governor’s State case stemmed from its administration attempting to censor material critical of administration, if the court had ruled in favor of the school’s administration, any school’s administration could censor anything appearing in a student paper, in addition to other activities on campus. That includes opinions on the conflict in Iraq as well as rallies.

Eastern’s administration has said it would not censor Eastern’s student media. While Eastern has this promise now, it may not be the same in a few years, especially if this case goes back to trial courts and is decided differently.

Every idea has merit, and any one person’s or group’s attempt to stifle that opinion is censorship.

People will continue to take their freedoms for granted until those freedoms are limited or taken away. Don’t let that happen. Respect everyone’s opinion – people don’t have to agree to have that respect.