Schoeberle: Nov. 3 vote kept liberty's light glowing bright

By Stephen M. Schoeberle
Published: November 30, 2009

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Morganton, NC --

To my fellow "Mob" members, our long, collective nightmare is just about over. The results of Nov. 3 reaffirm that we are a government of the people. As Abraham Lincoln said over 150 years ago, "Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed." Public officials ignore this at their political peril.
Thank you for keeping the lamp of liberty lit during these dark days. In so doing, you were serving the First Amendment's highest purpose. As the U.S. Supreme Court said in the 1949 case of Terminiello v. Chicago, "The vitality of civil and political institutions in our society depends on free discussion. It is only through free debate and free exchange of ideas that government remains responsive to the will of the people and peaceful change is effected. The right to speak freely and to promote diversity of ideas and programs is therefore one of the chief distinctions that sets us apart from totalitarian regimes. Accordingly, a function of free speech under our system of government is to invite dispute. It may indeed best serve its high purpose when it induces a condition of unrest, creates dissatisfaction with conditions as they are, or even stirs people to anger."
My cases against the Burke County Board of Education remain pending. I will not rest until the board admits its violations of the First Amendment and the Open Meetings Law and agrees not to engage in such violations in the future.