“But I’m not afraid.” I was so proud of Leila Atassi when she used that line in a recent column about government efforts to censor our freedom of speech. She thought some might label her as anti-Semitic for thoughts in the column, but the issue was so important for her that she put aside any fears of reprisals. I used to think most Americans were of such a mind. Most people I knew early in life acted on principle more than fear, prepared to face the fallout of carefully considered decisions or statements. I don’t think that anymore. The first few months of the Donald Trump’s presidency have given us an alarming number of people, leaders and institutions caving to fear. Their principles have gone out the window without a hint of resistance. I consider it cowardice. The power of fear has been on my mind all week because I had to make a journalism decision based on one readers’ fears, and I really did not want to do it. In the end, I had to accept that a great many people do operate based on what they are afraid of. The reader wrote a letter to the editor a few years back that was critical of Donald Trump. Criticizing presidents and former presidents is a time-honored tradition in this nation, so we carry quite a few letters blasting them. In this case, the writer had some life experiences giving him – and our readers – some unique perspective. But this writer is not a U.S. citizen. He is a legal U.S. resident and has been for years, and he is married to an American citizen. With Donald Trump kicking legal U.S. residents out of the country because he doesn’t like what they say, our writer feared his letter to the editor would be used to justify his ouster and destroy his life. He asked us to delete it. You likely know that our newsroom is one of the pioneers in the “clean slate” movement, with our Right to be Forgotten. For years, we have changed or deleted dated stories about embarrassing mistakes people have made, including minor crimes. Those stories are often the first that turn up in Google searches of their names, harming their job prospects and relationships. The letter writer’s request is different, though. His letter was not embarrassing. Rather, it was a principled stand against Trump’s reckless behavior. We have not previously removed or altered content because someone fears how it might be used to harm them, and I did not want to start here. It’s not why we created the Right to be Forgotten. Nearly all of the editors on our Right to be Forgotten committee believed we should heed the request, for the writer’s safety. They noted that a few years ago, I began to allow anonymous letters to the editor from people who fear reprisals for publicly taking a stand. If I had made that policy change earlier, this writer might have availed himself of it, negating the need to get rid of his letter. But he knew the rules when he wrote it. He opted to take a public stand on a matter of importance to him. As much as I did not want to, I deleted the letter. I have to accept that fear is a powerful force. The existence of the letter created legitimate anxiety for him and his family. He sought relief. Sadly, though, bowing to fears like this is harmful to this nation. The failure of people and institutions to stand on principle during these dangerous times make them all the more dangerous. History is replete with examples of societies that gave up their liberties and rights out of ignorance and fear. We’re headed down such a road with a president who does not believe in our Constitution or the rights so many of our fellow citizens fought and died to protect. Look, I get it. We all have fears. Don’t we owe it to each other to do the right thing even when we are afraid? Isn’t that what courage is? Hasn’t courage been one of the key elements that has made our nation great? So, I return to Leila, and her “But I’m not afraid.” That’s how movements start. One person, Standing firm. Our letter writer couldn’t do it. Can you? I’m at cquinn@cleveland.com Thanks for reading. | 