The measure of a country's greatness is its ability to retain compassion in time of crisis.

If the First Amendment means anything, it means that a state has no business telling a man, sitting alone in his house, what books he may read or what films he may watch.

None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps.

Classifications and distinctions based on race or color have no moral or legal validity in our society. They are contrary to our constitution and laws.

The First Amendment serves not only the needs of the polity but also those of the human spirit - a spirit that demands self-expression .

Our whole constitutional heritage rebels at the thought of giving government the power to control men's minds.

Some may more quietly commemorate the suffering, struggle, and sacrifice that has triumphed over much of what was wrong with the original document, and observe the anniversary with hopes not realized and promises not fulfilled. I plan to celebrate the bicentennial of the Constitution as a living document, including the Bill of Rights and the other amendments protecting individual freedoms and human rights.