Letter: Free speech must be protected for all individuals, groups

Recently the Deseret News printed what to me may be the most terrifying words published in this country since the Intolerable Acts of 1774 ("Government taking a scythe to the Bill of Rights," George Will, May 6). Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass; Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; and others have introduced a proposed amendment to the Constitution to restrict the rights of political speech to apply only to individuals and to allow Congress to curtail the collective speech rights of any group with which the Congress does not agree.

By itself, this is monstrous, but the implied extended and unintended consequences of this act would mean the extinction of the Bill of Rights as we know it. Yet besides Will's column, I haven't heard one word of criticism of this proposal.

This proposal is outrageous. Yet everyone I talk to says, " It will never happen". But the same was probably said just before President Andrew Jackson ignored the Supreme Court and enforced the Indian Removal Act. Or just before Bill Clinton created the Grand Staircase National Monument. The fact that this has been proposed by a ranking member of Congress indicates it is possible.

The leadership of both parties should repudiate this immediately. The sponsors should withdraw the proposal and apologize to the nation for having even considered the notion.

Thomas W. Brown

Murray