"Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech..."

I consider myself a patriot. I love the United States and am grateful for the various liberties that we are blessed with as citizens of this great country. For this reason, there are a few things that tend to upset me.

In the last few months I have been surprised to read about certain incidents where students have been punished by school administrators for things they have said on their own private websites. I believe this is a violation of First Amendment rights. How can a school administrator assume the jurisdiction to regulate activities outside of school boundaries? Somehow they think that their power extends to the private lives of their students.

To me, this demonstrates what could become an alarming trend in our country.

I have felt in recent years that there is a growing apathy in our country. I had this thought prior to the tragic events of September 11th and though saddened by the great loss on this day, I was filled with pride as I walked down the street, to see an American Flag displayed at every home. But this sentiment gradually faded.

We must fight the apathy, and realize that our country can still stand for something if we as its citizens stand for something.