Judge flunks N.Y.C.

New York City officials must have flunked their Political Science 100 classes.

Organizers created The Million Youth March, scheduled for Saturday in Harlem, to attract African-American youth to the same ideals of the 1995 Million Man March. New York blasted the event with shame, attempting to deny the event a city permit.

New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani threw more wood into the fire when he branded the event as a "hate march." The politicians forgot about freedom of speech. Thank God for the judicial system.

A federal judge ruled that withholding a permit is in violation of First Amendment freedoms.

"This court does not condone lawless action," Federal District Court Judge Lewis A. Kaplan said. "Malcolm X Boulevard, like any other street, is a traditional First Amendment forum for the exercise of constitutional rights."

Although lawyers for the city have plans to appeal, it is unlikely the decision will be overturned.

The whole scenario has placed our free-speech standards in a dazzling light. The ideals that created this country still stand - we are not restricted to uniformity, we are a union of people which have different opinions and ideas, and we may express those opinions when and where we choose.

It's a blessing New York City officials had memory lapses of our constitutional rights. It gives us a chance to remember how insanely lucky we are to live in a democracy.