“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 the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
-First Amendment
to the U.S Constitution
Those words did not come out of a Bible, but they are holy, different and aspire to the search for truth and a God-given right to speak the truth to evil.
It’s Sunshine Week in Clarksdale. A week where newspapers and enlightened people look around and thank their government for giving them a First Amendment and the ability to worship, speak freely, gather respectfully and question their government when we see something wrong, selfish and unfair.
The concept of Sunshine Week is that open and public meetings and records allows the sunshine of public scrutiny to examine the working of all levels of our government and cleanse it.
We think it is providential that this concept has recently been put to the test in this community.
There are those in our city, county, schools and even in our courts and economic development establishments who feel they know better at best or have greedy plan for themselves at worst.
People call your Clarksdale Press Register all too often and ask us to find information for them about public bodies. They say they are being stonewalled by politicians and office bureaucrats who make getting public information or public records impossible.
We are quick to tell them your Clarksdale Press Register has no right or privilege that is not also held by the American public.
You have a right to seek numbers on public spending, policy and procedure of public bodies and then are allowed by law to show up at public meetings with your facts and figures and hold public figures accountable.
The First Amendment is yours, Clarksdale!
May the “sunshine” of open meetings and public records always make this country and this community grow stronger and better.
-30-
