Thanks for the First Amendment

The First Amendment. It's a beauty.

You might want to take a minute to just read it for yourself.

"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 of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

As a journalist, I take one look at this run-on sentence and see about a dozen places where I would jam in a period. But as an American, it brings a tear to my eye.

Has there ever been a statement packed with more meaning? It's got freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition all rolled into one.

It's like a great, big, stuffed Freedom Burrito; which coincidentally will be on the menu at Taco Bell if Republicans ever get back control of Congress. Sorry, that's a joke.

In seriousness, I started thinking about the good old First Amendment yesterday after speaking with a delegation of journalists from East African countries. These nine men and women were visiting Southern Illinois University at Carbondale as part of a three-city tour sponsored by the U.S. State Department.

The group of Africans were quite knowledgeable and, on first meeting, much friendlier than any of the scowling, cigarette-huffing reporters we grow stateside. It was only after hearing some of their stories that I realized working as a journalist in these countries takes some serious guts.

Write something that rubs a government official the wrong way and they'll lock you up and throw away the key. Say something incendiary over the airways and you'll have police breathing down your neck. Assemble peaceably to protest and you're lucky if you only end up choking on tear gas.

Wow. In my job I've dealt with angry phone calls and nasty e-mails, but I've never worried about my freedom. I've also never worried that the broadcaster reading me the news or the writer typing it did so fearing for his life.

I'd like to think I would have similar courage to speak the truth to power when doing so has such serious consequences. But I'm not sure I would.

Many members of the African delegation don't have to wonder; they've lived it. Ernest Acidri Al-fodio is the news editor at a radio station in northwest Uganda. The day before a national election, his station was shut down by armed police after he broadcast an interview with people criticizing the government.

He says if he had it to do over again, he'd do the same thing.

"We have to be critical. We're critical as a matter of principle," he said defiantly.

People like Ernest who criticize, question and report without the protection of the First Amendment are more important than you or I can imagine in their developing homelands.

America's Founding Fathers made sure we've never had to fight for press freedoms. Much of Africa is fighting, let's hope they win.

TJ Greaney is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.