The Capistrano Valley Republican Women have watched with horror the calloused treatment of our Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press, guaranteed by the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, by the majority members of the San Juan Capistrano City Council in recent months.
My motivation for believing our group should be heard on this subject is simple. It is part of the promise I made to two friends, Technical Sergeant Don Malarkey and 1st Lieutenant Buck Compton, two of the brave members of Easy Company of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the 101st Airborne Division who parachuted behind enemy lines in the dark morning hours of DDay 1944. They were later known as part of the "Band of Brothers", chronicled in the HBO Series of the same name. In return for their sacrifices and that of their friends and comrades, they only asked one thing - preserve the freedoms they fought for.
There is not a soldier who has ever served our country who would not say the same.
Find out what's happening in San Juan Capistranowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press have come under attack in San Juan Capistrano, and it is up to all those who value our liberty to stand up and be counted. What is happening in San Juan now could easily happen in any of our communities if we are not vigilant.
Yesterday, the Capistrano Valley Republican Women Federated took action. Their members unanimously passed a resolution condemning the actions of the San Juan Capistrano City Council majority in voting in secret to ban The Community Common Sense and other newspapers from city property and a letter from the City Attorney threatening criminal action if the newspapers were returned to their racks as reprehensible and counter to the most basic rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. Further, the resolution reaffirmed their belief that Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press are essential to retaining the blessings of liberty for the free people of our community and that abridgment of any kind cannot be tolerated. Last, the resolution called on the San Juan City Council to vote to restore to The Community Common Sense and other newspapers unfettered access to San Juan Capistrano city property as is their God-given right.
