With all the negative press being written about today's young people, it's refreshing to meet a young person who not only knows his rights but is prepared to stand up for them.
In coming to Lucas' defense, attorneys for The Rutherford Institute warned school officials that their attempts to browbeat Lucas into watering down his graduation speech could expose the school to a First Amendment lawsuit.
Over the course of The Rutherford Institute's 42-year history, we have defended countless young people who found themselves censored, silenced and denied their basic First Amendment rights, especially when they chose to exercise their rights to free speech and religious freedom.
You can only defend your rights when you know them, and the American people-and those who represent them-are utterly ignorant about their freedoms, history, and how the government is supposed to operate.
As Morris Berman points out in his book Dark Ages America, "70 percent of American adults cannot name their senators or congressmen; more than half don't know the actual number of senators, and nearly a quarter cannot name a single right guaranteed by the First Amendment. Sixty-three percent cannot name the three branches of government. Other studies reveal that uninformed or undecided voters often vote for the candidate whose name and packaging are the most powerful; color is apparently a major factor in their decision."
Not even the government bureaucrats who are supposed to represent us know much about civics, American history and geography, or the Constitution although they take an oath to uphold, support and defend the Constitution against "Enemies foreign and domestic."
Still, you can't exercise your rights unless you know what those rights are.
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