Opening my memory box of stuff I wrote as a teenager/young man made me think I needed to preserve it for eternity on the internet. So, I will periodically grab something out of the box and publish it here. Not saying it’s good or that I am particularly proud of it, but I cared enough to write it then, so I am going to share it here now. Today’s entry is an editorial I wrote in 1972 for my high school newspaper. I was the Executive Editor.

Do you believe in free speech? Do you believe you should be able to read what you want? Well, that’s tough luck, baby. You see, friend, you are a member of the WHS student body, and so automatically, these rights are revoked.

In case you haven’t noticed, the editorials have been rather weak in our school paper. Why? Big Brother (the administration) doesn’t like to be given bad print, and so everything that disagrees with their opinions is promptly removed from the paper (I had to sneak this in). It’s sorta like a Russian newspaper; they print what makes them look good and burn the rest.

What can be done about this great injustice? Sorry people, but nothing at all. You see, some things are too big for a student to overcome.

Now, at least, you are aware, and being aware is where it’s at. Now you know what the administration is pulling off, which means you can no longer be intimidated.

Maybe someday something will be done; maybe someday we’ll be able to say what we feel. But today, all we can do is dream of and hope for that day.

As I recall, I had written an editorial entitled “Our Gestapo” criticizing the campus police for their overbearing enforcement of the rules. Our journalism advisor got called on the carpet for allowing such nonsense to be published and required that one of the vice-principals review and approve all future editorials. I can’t remember what happened after I wrote the above, but I didn’t get fired or silenced.

Those days of being an aspiring journalist are a Long Time Gone now.