COMMENTARY | Sam Brownback, Republican governor of Kansas , apparently "blowsalot" in person. That's what 18-year-old Emma Sullivan thought when she recently attended a Youth in Government event at which Brownback spoke. During the event she tweeted from her cell phone, "Just made mean comments at gov. brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot." That started a brush fire war over her freedom of speech -- a war the teenager just won.
Brownback's communications director, Sherienne Jones-Sontag, monitors social media for mention of the governor's name. She saw the tweet and the attached hashtag and thought they were "not respectful." Apparently Jones-Sontag lives in a world in which teenagers always hold back their true feelings on social media and governors are always worthy of their respect.
The governor's office contacted the Youth in Government program, which ordered Sullivan to write an apology. Sullivan refused. She dug in her heels. Sullivan thought such a letter would "not be sincere" and isn't sorry she sent the tweet.
Sullivan's older sister contacted the media about the browbeating Sullivan was receiving over her exercise of free speech. Predictably, virtually everyone is siding with the average citizen who spoke her mind. Her following on Twitter went from about 60 to more than 3,000 because of the exposure and Brownback's office now looks like a pack of rabid thugs.
Today the Kansas governor's office did what any spineless political entity would do: they backpedaled, flip-flopped and launched into spin control so hard the aftereffect could almost reverse the planet's spin on its axis. Instead of demanding an apology from the teenager, Brownback's office has apologized to her.
"My staff overreacted to this tweet, and for that I apologize. Freedom of speech is among our most treasured freedoms," said his apology.
Sullivan's high school also backpedaled. "She is not required to write a letter of apology to the Governor," read the school's statement. That's quite a flip-flop from their original reaction, which was to require it, with the principal dictating what talking points should appear in it.
America needs more Emma Sullivans. Even simple statements of disagreement with powerful people are precious expressions of free speech. Tweet on, Emma.
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