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Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy says high school students across the country need to get involved in "dialogues" about American ideals because they are "soon to be the trustees of freedom." Supreme Court justice
pushes isle students to
fight war of ideasAnthony M. Kennedy wants Hawaii's
youth in a freedom dialogueBy Pat Gee
pgee@starbulletin.comKennedy, in town for the week to meet with and teach University of Hawaii law students, said there was a need for these "dialogues of freedom" particularly in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, which he termed "an attack on the rule of law."
"When the shooting stops, the war of ideas will just begin," he said.
The justice spoke at a Rotary Club of Honolulu luncheon yesterday at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
He was scheduled to conduct one of these dialogues at Punahou High School today.
The national program was initiated by the American Bar Association at its recent annual convention, and Kennedy hopes judges, lawyers, and teachers well versed in constitutional history will lead these dialogues.
He found students he talked to "so committed, so eager" to participate and that they have "a fine grasp of America's place in the world ... and the challenge ahead ... They realize freedom is a moral imperative, and that an attack of freedom is a great moral wrong."
High school students will soon be the "trustees of freedom. They will have to help us resolve" the world's conflicts, he later added.
One of the objectives of the dialogues is to make clear to students that while there are a lot of explanations as to why the terrorists hate Americans, "the explanation should not be confused with excuses."
"The murder of innocent people is a moral crime. We can explain it but there's no excuse for that," Kennedy said.
He said he has enough confidence in the American consciousness to find the right balance between fighting the war on terrorism and the protection of our constitutional rights.
Kennedy quoted former President Abraham Lincoln, who said during the darkest days of the Civil War, "Remember, America, you're still the last best hope of this world."
According to Lawrence C. Foster, dean of the UH William S. Richardson School of Law, this is the justice's third visit to the law school, which has been holding annual "Jurists-in-Residence" four-day programs the last eight years. Accompanying Kennedy is Justice Myron Bright, a senior federal appeals judge, who originated the program at the UH and around the nation, Foster said.
The public is invited to attend a Law Review Symposium on property rights from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday at Orvis Auditorium. Kennedy will not be participating, but five leading lawyers from across the country will be discussing land use and property condemnation, Foster said.