The Norm Brewer speaker this year was Mr. Leonard Pitts. He is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Miami Herald. Pitts’ columns are used in other newspaper publications around the country, including the Commercial Appeal. The title of his lecture was “Calling Me Out My Name”.
He started off by saying that there is great frustration regarding the First Amendment. After that, he said people can say anything they want to him because of their First Amendment Rights. The lighter moment in the lecture came when he said that more people can name all five Simpsons and not all five rights of the Constitution. This got some laughs from the audience, but it was a very good point.
He also had many good quotes during his lecture. A few of them were……
“Freedom Takes Courage”, “Freedom of Speech Makes Us Vulnerable”.
Also, he mentioned that he wrote a column in 2012 that the First Amendment is the most dangerous words ever written. This really caught my attention because everyone wants their rights, but really don’t think about how much damage it can cause. Pitts also called out the former President of the United States, George H. Bush and how it is tragic that he didn’t understand the First Amendment. Also, all of us don’t understand it. This also caught my attention because a lot of people probably don’t know what is in the First Amendment. The lecture lasted about 45 minutes and it was a Q and A at the end. The lecture was a lot more interesting than years past and the audience really seemed engaged during the entire thing.
He started off by saying that there is great frustration regarding the First Amendment. After that, he said people can say anything they want to him because of their First Amendment Rights. The lighter moment in the lecture came when he said that more people can name all five Simpsons and not all five rights of the Constitution. This got some laughs from the audience, but it was a very good point.
He also had many good quotes during his lecture. A few of them were……
“Freedom Takes Courage”, “Freedom of Speech Makes Us Vulnerable”.
Also, he mentioned that he wrote a column in 2012 that the First Amendment is the most dangerous words ever written. This really caught my attention because everyone wants their rights, but really don’t think about how much damage it can cause. Pitts also called out the former President of the United States, George H. Bush and how it is tragic that he didn’t understand the First Amendment. Also, all of us don’t understand it. This also caught my attention because a lot of people probably don’t know what is in the First Amendment. The lecture lasted about 45 minutes and it was a Q and A at the end. The lecture was a lot more interesting than years past and the audience really seemed engaged during the entire thing.