How can people defend their First Amendment rights without going all the way to the Supreme Court?

1 Exercise your right to free speech.

Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, post to an Internet forum, hold a demonstration, or just talk to a coworker. It doesn't necessarily have to be about a First Amendment issue; meaningful public dialogue about any issue helps keep the First Amend- ment strong.

2 Let Congress know that you want to

protect the First Amendment.

Congress often debates legislation that may

protect or enhance the freedoms granted to

Americans under the First Amendment

3 Read a banned book.

Broadening your exposure to other

ideas is at the heart of what makes the

First Amendment great. Understanding several

sides of an issue and other perspectives is crucial to a functioning democracy. For more information on banned books visit www.aclu.org/

bannedbooks/ or the American Library