Megyn Kelly’s Impassioned Defense of Free Speech in America Left a Harvard Law Professor Applauding

IJ Review ^ | 5/8/15 | Mike Miller

[Impala64ssa]

During her opening monologue on “The Kelly File” Wednesday, Megyn Kelly delivered an impassioned defense of America, the First Amendment and the right to free speech — whomever it might offend.

When she finished, Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz was so impressed he broke into applause.

Kelly’s comments were in response to those who say Pamela Geller and her organization, American Freedom Defense Initiative, purposely tried to provoke radical Islamists by hosting the Muhammad cartoon-drawing contest in Garland, Texas:

“The bottom line here is that some in this country have been so busy trying to figure out how to avoid causing any religion any offense they have forgotten what is offensive to Americans: those who would trample on our core ideals.

“In America we stand for liberty and freedom to offend, to provoke, to persuade and to defy.” After Kelly finished her monologue, Dershowitz applauded and said:

“Let me applaud your statement; it was fantastic. It is the paradigm of the way Americans have to look at our freedoms and our First Amendment. Jefferson would have been proud of you.” Those who agree that the First Amendment right to free speech was not designed to protect speech we like, but to protect speech we don’t, surely applauded as well.

[Impala64ssa]

Video at link.

[LeoWindhorse]

I saw this , Meghan was great

[RginTN]

Imagine if John Bunyan never wrote Pilgrim’s Progress so not to provoke the Church of England to violence. Guess its also Bunyan’s fault he got tossed in jail...he should’ve respected the CoE and been cautious with his Freedom!!!/s

[nathanbedford]

Often in the context of squelching free speech in our public school system in deference to the subjective reaction to that speech, I have been writing on these threads for some years now about this new approach by the left to deprive us of our First Amendment rights.

Elevating the subjective reaction of the audience to to be the determinative factor in whether speech should be protected obviously means that there ultimately will be no free speech. In the context of the school system, Mexican-Americans who object to the American flag are favored over the rights of free speech by school administrators and our courts have sustained them in this censorship. Increasingly, we see the paranoid reactions of the African-American "community" used to justify censorship.

Now we see the sensitivities of a murderous cult elevated over the First Amendment by the usual suspects.

The whole idea of the First Amendment is to protect offensive speech. Speech which is not offensive requires no protection. The idea that we lose our rights to speak merely because someone contrived to be offended, is the path to tyranny. We cannot compete on a playing field where the goalposts are moved at the whim of the enemy.

[vette6387]

“I saw this , Meghan was great”

This was Thursday night. She was on fire tonight on the same subject. I noted that both O’Gasbag and Hannity had guest hosts. Probably on the orders of Roger Ailes because of their altenative views of the First Amendment he gave them a cool down day.

[Deagle]

No only impressed but sent an email to Mr. O’Reilly explaining just how he is so wrong and why Megyn Kelly is so right but do not expect an apology or much else from this gasbag! Sometimes many on FOX just can’t seem to understand the idea of Freedom!

[moehoward]

Wednesday she had on the First Amendment professor (can’t remember his name). Her opening statement was lengthy and a grand slam out of the park. Thursday she went to bat again, and Gershowitz was impressed. Tonight she covered it, but more of a base hit.

[AZLiberty]

Cruz-Kelly 2016!

[DemforBush]

“In America we stand for liberty and freedom to offend, to provoke, to persuade and to defy.”

First-rate commentary.

[kvanbrunt2]

Fox needs to post some of the cartoons. and we need to have wednesday is mohamad cartoon day in every school. part of common core.

[Leaning Right]

Cruz-Kelly 2016!

I don't know about that, but Kelly should definitely be one of the questioners during the 2016 presidential debates.

Of course that won't happen. The debate sponsors will present a panel of lefties, and the GOP will say "Sure, that's alright with us."

[saintgermaine]

I couldn’t agree with Megan Kelly more, with some minor exceptions where free speech may endanger a large number of the public such as shouting FIRE in a theater or similar establishment.

[saintgermaine]

Yes I would vote or such a DREAM TEAM in less than half a heartbeat.

[Gene Eric]

>> The whole idea of the First Amendment is to protect offensive speech.

Offensiveness is relative and subjective. But the 1st Amendment is absolute in terms of preventing enforceable constraints on any speech save the criminal variants of incitement.

[Ken H]

Megyn Kelly and Sean Hannity were among the first in the press to call BS on the Duke lacrosse case.

[Tennessee Nana]

Where Liberty dwells, there is my country

Benjamin Franklin

[monocle]

What if there is a fire?

[Aloysius88]

new tagline

[InterceptPoint]

By way of comparison everyone should take note of O’Reilly’s “Go along to get along” 1st Amendment crushing view on this subject. It is pathetic.

Megyn Kelly will eventually be the lead commentator on Fox News. At least I hope so. She is better than Greta. She is better than Sean. O’Reilly is less than worthless, no longer worth a minute of my time. She is our best voice on Fox.

[USS Alaska]

I saw this , Meghan was great

Me too, and the only thing that would have made it better, would have been calling O'Rielly and Laura Ingram out on their stupid position on this event.

I know that on FOX, Kelly ain't gonna make a spectacle of o'bloviator and his puppy gal.