Taking a Stand

"I will not reveal the name of the author of the articles which I set to type, not even to the Governor." ~John Peter Zenger, Newspaper Printer, The New York Weekly Journal - 1734

Some of you may be avid bloggers. Some of you may write when you are compelled to. Some of you may write for your company's website. Some may write just to expand your mind, vocabulary and view point. Others may write simply because you can - and still others may write because you have to - you simply "can't not" write. I fall into all of the categories above.

Back in June, I wrote A Grave Crime. This was a piece addressing the imprisonment of journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee in North Korea. I was compelled to write then, as I am now. I wonder if it is a mere coincidence that the date of their release, negotiations successfully completed by Bill Clinton, fell 275 years - TO THE DAY - after the release of John Peter Zenger who was jailed as the result of an information - a listing of charges - set forth by a tyrannical New York Province governor; Zenger refused to reveal the source of the articles he printed that criticized the governor. His refusal led to his arrest and long imprisonment before a jury of his peers swiftly voted him not guilty. He was released August 4, 1735.

Both of these stories are important to me. Why? Because I value deeply the right to say and write whatever I want, as long as it doesn't bring danger to anyone else. The incidences are as different as they are alike but the principle remains the same. Social media in 1735 consisted of a weekly printed newspaper and word of mouth - an actual front porch. Social media now consists of twitter, social networks, online news sources, television, email, instant messaging, printed publications, and mobile phone (texting and voice to voice) - the new front porch.

Are you sometimes unhappy with what you read here? Are you sometimes compelled to write a response to a post or other response that infuriates you or causes you to question? Good. Do you ever read a post here that opens your mind or changes your POV? Good. Do you ever write a post here with the hopes of stirring the pot a bit? Good. Putting thought into type has been around hieroglyphics. Reading a great story is just as joyful as writing one.

People stand up for their rights every day. The put words on a sign to carry at a picket line. They print pamphlets that denounce practices with which they disagree. They argue at City Council meetings or at congressional hearings. They run for office or back candidates that share their view point. They write books or plays that question laws or freedoms. They produce movies that educate or inform. They create art, poetry, music, or photography that depicts when freedoms are taken away, squelched, or abolished. Why? Because the compellation is strong and the need is too powerful for them to ignore. The stand taken is laid on a thick foundation, built over the backs and stories of those that came before.