The world was shocked to hear of the recent assault on free speech by thugs in California. These anti-free speech vandals defaced building belonging to the Santa Barbara News-Press, allegedly due to the paper’s use of the word “illegals” to refer to people living illegally in the United States.
Mr. Jim Gilchrist of the Minuteman Project issued a blistering response of support, encouraging Minutemen everywhere to join forces against those who would deprive a newspaper of its right to free speech. Now, we’re pleased to bring you an exclusive response from the Santa Barbara News-Press.
Dear Mr. Gilchrist:
Thank you for your comments on your website minutemanproject.com, the supportive words and the call to action.
We believe it is our obligation as a responsible newspaper to report the news using accurate words in an honest, straightforward and unbiased manner. This does not always sit well with those who use intimidation as a way to try to silence the truth.
We are committed to standing up for the truth, something we believe to be sadly lacking in much of today’s journalism.
The protesters have threatened to return later this month if the paper does not issue a retraction — something we will never do. We will not give in to the thugs who are attempting to use political correctness as a tool of censorship and a weapon to shut down this newspaper.
We believe the protesters and the vandals who defaced the paper’s historic building want to deny us our First Amendment rights. This is in keeping with the revolutionary Che Guevara, who said, “We must do away with all newspapers. A revolution cannot be accomplished with freedom of the press.”
Again, thank you for your efforts to protect free speech in our country. We appreciate you taking the time to let us know your thoughts. Your reassuring words will be shared with our news team.
Sincerely,
Arthur von Wiesenberger Co-publisher
Santa Barbara News-Press
(805) 564 5174
