Opinion: Is free speech being served with regards to I-S sand mine issue?

“The greatest benefit of free speech is the light of transparency. In that light, true knowledge grows while falsehoods are extinguished. Let’s be respectful of one another’s opinions and politely agree to disagree if need be. But let’s not banish free speech and opinions allowed under it.”

By Trey Foerster, Publisher, HeadspringIS.com

We live in exceptional times. Free speech is being attacked nationally and locally.

When I started HeadspringIS.com four years ago, I intended this to be a public platform to disseminate information to area residents about the life and culture of Iola-Scandinavia. I got tired of hearing about things happening in the area after they were over and a loss of cultural identity we have as a community.

This platform is meant to be a public forum to share – the good, the bad, and even the ugly.

I didn’t intend to write opinions and haven’t for four years. That I have underlines the seriousness with which I view this issue of free speech – something I care deeply about having been a journalist for 50 years+.

Today, “misinformation” and “disinformation” have been cloaks thrown over opinions and facts some people don’t like. That hampers free speech – a right under the Constitution.

There’s a long-standing saying: “People are entitled to their opinions but not their own facts.”

Please keep that in mind.

The very time constructive conversation must occur is before a decision is made as to a course of action. In this case, the authorization of or denial of a permit for Faulks Bros. to mine sand on Iola Car Show grounds in the Village of Iola and Town of Scandinavia.

People who own property adjacent to the proposed mining area have legitimate concerns that should be addressed. These are individual rights and purported privileges.

The Iola Car Show has a legitimate right to capitalize in monetizing resources (its sand) for the benefit of the organization since it is the property owner. These are property rights and purported privileges.

In my humble opinion, the cease-and-desist letter allegedly sent by the Iola Car Show’s attorney cuts off healthy discussion and the expression of opinion and facts that is so vitally important in a small community such as ours. Area residents deserve to know all views and opinions from all sides of this as do the elected representatives who serve as the peoples’ representatives on the boards of the Village of Iola and Town of Scandinavia. To cutoff off healthy discussion is a disservice to Iola-Scandinavia residents, taxpayers, car show volunteers, and elected representatives.

Also, in my humble opinion, the anti-mine group allegedly contacting YouTube to take down recordings posted by Faulks Bros. with information on the issue was likewise at fault for cutting off healthy discussion and the expression of opinion and facts.

This is a fact: Iola-Scandinavia residents want to know the facts about and hear opinions on this issue. They are taxpayers and supporters of the car show. How else can they make an informed decision as to the merits of a sand mine on Iola Car Show grounds? Are Iola-Scandinavia residents also to be muzzled if they have opinions contrary to the other side?

This is also a fact: Area residents want their elected officials to know what they think and consider their views on the issue. What better way for elected officials to gauge what the public and taxpayers think and feel than through open dialogue of facts and opinions? Many people won’t write a letter/email to an elected official, but they will comment on a Facebook post and it’s vital for elected officials and residents to read these discussions to have a well-rounded knowledge of pros and cons of the issue.

These are also facts: If the mine does operate, there will be dust, noise, and trucks on roads. What is unknown is the amount of each. That’s why open discussion and free speech are important.

There will be destruction of land and habitat. What is unknown is how it will be restored and what it will look like once restored. That’s why open discussion and free speech are important.

The greatest benefit of free speech is the light of transparency. In that light, true knowledge grows while falsehoods are extinguished. Let’s be respectful of one another’s opinions and politely agree to disagree if need be. But let’s not banish free speech and opinions allowed under it.

HeadspringIS.com and the corresponding Facebook page Headspring will keep providing the public forum where area residents may exercise their right to free speech. We invite people to be polite and civil in their public discourse on this platform and most of all respectful of one another as we are neighbors in the same community.

Quotes on the importance of free speech

“The freedom of speech is an important yardstick for a society’s level of civilization.” – Ai Weiwei

“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” – George Orwell

“Give me the liberty to know to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience above all liberties.” – John Milton

“If freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” – George Washington

“To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker.” – Frederick Douglass

“We have to uphold a free press and freedom of speech – because, in the end, lies and misinformation are no match for the truth.” – Barack Obama

“We don’t have the freedom of speech to talk about the weather. We have the first amendment so we can say some very controversial things.” – Ron Paul

“Everyone is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day passes without its being extolled, but some people’s idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone else says anything back, that is an outrage.” – Winston Churchill

“Freedom of speech is a principal pillar of a free government: When this support is taken away, the constitution of a free society is dissolved, and tyranny is erected on its ruins.” – Benjamin Franklin