Article by Maureen McKinney
The First Amendment reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
As you can see, this Amendment covers several topics in today’s world. With the political climate right now, I would like to address the second part regarding freedom of speech, press, assembly and petition.
The First Amendment is designed to protect the most speech possible from government interference. For many Americans, our freedom of speech has always been a given and rarely questioned. Most people felt free to speak their mind and state their opinions, even make inflammatory or derogatory remarks without fear of reprisals. Historically, in order to “cross the line”, statements had to be defamatory, incite imminent lawless action, pose a true threat, or use pejorative or discriminatory language with reference to a person or a group on the basis of their religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, color, descent, gender or other identity factor. These exceptions that can be illegal are generally referred to as hate speech. Today, many people avoid speaking up at all, fearing reprisals from an administration that appears to want to arrest, convict and punish those who speak up questioning our government or its authority. One of our most cherished, important rights is being threatened.
This desire to control the narrative has spilled over into the free press as well. Reporters and news organizations have been threatened with lawsuits over reporting what the administration doesn’t approve of or like, or is critical in any way – even if factually correct. Funds have been pulled from organizations like PBS to punish them for not falling in line. Some reporters have been banned from press conferences for asking questions not acceptable to the President. The press has always been the eyes and ears for our country and has played a vital role in assuring that Americans get the whole story. Censoring their reporting and publications is dangerous! We deserve the truth, warts and all.
There is a definite concerted effort to squash our constitutional right to peaceably assemble as well. One only needs to look at the occupations of DC, LA, Chicago and Portland to see this playing out for all the world to see. Not only is this action wrong, but it steps on States rights when troops are sent in without the approval of governors and police. Calling in the National Guard and our Armed Forces to our cities to strike fear into normal citizens and scare them from what is their constitutional right as Americans!
If we cannot “petition the Government for a redress of grievances” – speak our minds, march and gather peacefully and depend on unbiased, fact based news – we are headed into a form of government that will surely remove more and more protections and freedoms from all citizens. This is a wake-up call. Our Democracy is literally at stake.
This article co-published by the Ellensburg Daily Record Newspaper on November 8, 2025. Maureen McKinney helps chair Communications/Outreach for the League of WomenVoters Kittitas County. She is retired and lives in the Manastash Canyon with her dog Belle. Living with wildlife in our beautiful county is her happy place.