Stifling The First Amendment

The public's ability to criticize government policy is an essential check against abuse. Since policy must be open to debate and war develops from policy, war must be open to debate. The Administration calling criticism irresponsible is tantamount to censorship since it essentially suggests that if the criticism is irresponsible, then the person making the criticism is irresponsible. Irresponsible people and irresponsible actions, as the reasoning follows, are not allowable in a well ordered society. Consequently, criticizing the war and those that criticize the war are not allowable in a well ordered society. However, Americans know that stifling freedom of speech for the wrong reason is irresponsible. The Administration, therefore, acts quite irresponsibly, intolerably, and un-American in calling criticism irresponsible.