Professor Vincent Blasi in The Checking Value in First Amendment Theory demonstrated not only his insightful knowledge of the Constitution, history and law, he also revealed his keen understanding of the power of rhetoric: "To become a vital part of the living Constitution, a value must have more than a strong historical and analytical foundation. The value must also succeed at the level of rhetoric; it must have its great quote." Blasi identified that great quote for the checking value as he concluded the article with the stirring words of Justice Hugo Black's opinion in New York Times v. United States, more commonly known as the Pentagon Papers case: The Government's power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain forever free to censure the Government. The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people. Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government. And paramount among the responsibilities of a free press is the duty to prevent any part of the government from deceiving the people and sending them off to distant lands to die of foreign fevers and foreign shot and shell.
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