LAURA JANE KENNY | staff writer

As much as college students claim free speech, they are not willing to fight for it.

Americans love their right to free speech. Out of all citizens, who loves it more than us college kids? So why, when free speech is in jeopardy, is no one willing defend it?

On Sept. 17, 21-year-old University of Florida student Andrew Meyer was tasered and arrested at a John Kerry forum for asking the wrong questions. During the forum, Meyer approached the microphone and asked Kerry a series of questions. The last question pertained to Kerry’s participation in a secret society with President Bush called Skulls and Crossbones. In response to the last question police standing next to Meyer immediately grabbed him and tried to remove him from the room.

Meyer responded with shouts of, “Why are you arresting me?” and “What did I do?” Yet, the police did not answer. After some struggle and much yelling, the police were able to get Meyer to the floor and after handcuffing him, tasered Meyer to stop his yelling. It is hard to watch.

In the video that millions of Americans have already watched on YouTube, you can see the student struggle and yell with pain after being tasered. Cries of women follow, pleading for the police to stop and declaring police brutality.

The first time I watched this, I had two questions running through my mind. First; why are the police arresting him?

The police, with former knowledge of Meyer’s likelihood to disturb, had their senses heightened for a possible disruption. Meyer was later jailed for disturbing the peace and resisting arrest. But, even if Meyer’s intentions were to ruffle some feathers with his questions, he didn’t disturb the peace in any visible sense. When you watch the video, it is quite easy to see that the only peace Meyer disturbed is Kerry’s peace of mind.

The second question that comes to mind, and the more important one, is why is no one helping him? Meyer squirms adamantly and attempts to resist arrest. He barely moves 20 feet before he is tasered, all the while yelling, “somebody help me!”

Yet, in a room full of people, no one moves.

In an age where we declare free speech, where we are willing to defend it at the least sign of opposition, a room full of students from the same university sit and watch a peer being pushed and shoved violently as he desperately asked for the reason of his arrest. Not a soul defends him until he is screaming in pain.

How does our sophisticated society fight back?

With the F-bomb.

The following Monday, Colorado State University’s student newspaper printed “Taser This, F*** Bush” across the top of the opinion section. But their paper didn’t have nice little stars in the word.

So is that how low we will sink? Profanity? Instead of highlighting Andrew Meyer’s loss of personal rights, CSU just created an entirely new headline. They stick the word taser in there so they can go to bed at night feeling like they somehow are fighting for free speech, when in reality they are just abusing it.

Trying to defend that Meyer’s personal rights were violated, Colorado State University goes in the complete opposite direction, violating the personal laws of everyone who reads their paper.

The United States Supreme Court uses the Miller test to determine what is appropriate substance. The test takes national standards into account to determine what one can say within the boundaries of free speech. I think we can all agree the F-word isn’t appropriate for a newspaper that is accessible to parents, grandparents and kids.

I am disappointed in the response from Colorado State University and I am disappointed in the response from the room full of people at University of Florida.

I am not suggesting a violent attack on the police was needed. However, would it be too much to wish that someone else in the room would question the reason for Meyer’s arrest? I like to imagine that if authority is questioned, it cannot as easily take advantage of the power it holds.

Go ahead and write about free speech in your blog. Start a group on facebook that is glad Meyer is out of jail. I am all for discussion. But if faith without deeds is dead, belief without action can’t have much of an influence.