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Paper theft is censorship

TO THE DAILY:

In light of the recent act of censorship of the Daily, the University chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union would like to express our utmost disgust with such antics. This cowardly act of censorship is antithetical to the preservation of civil liberties on this campus.

The First Amendment of the Constitution states, "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech or of the press ..." In the spirit of the First Amendment, we believe that no one should violate these fundamental rights.

If one group prohibits speech on the basis of content, they are denying each person's individual right to make an assessment of the facts.

We feel that the best way to combat unwanted speech is with more speech. Methods such as letters to the editor or a Diag protest will encourage discussion and debate of the issue, rather than the stifling of opinion.

The UM-ACLU will strive to ensure that every campus organization is not denied the right to express its views, regardless of the controversy surrounding the issue.

Furthermore, we applaud the Daily's decision to prosecute under the full extent of the criminal law rather than with the Code of Student Conduct.

AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION