The first ten Amendments our Constitution are calling the Bill of Rights. We always talk about a person’s rights that are guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution. Some people will call it the free speech amendment. Some people will call it the freedom of religion amendment. Some people will call it the right to protest amendment. It is all that and more.

The First Amendment states on religion that Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. To me that means that like many Americans saying that we are a Christian nation is just plan false. The very First Amendment to the Constitution says we are not. I have heard many people say that our government is based in Christianity. The first Amendment says that we are not to be based on any religion. To me it says that we should be free from the biases that are created by any religion. It also tells me that it will not interfere with the establishment of a religion or its lawful practice. It also tells me that no one has a right to force their religious views on another person. Here is where we go astray way too often. We just had Michael Flynn talking about the United States should have just one religion which is Christianity. He is not the first person to say that and he will not be the last but it is direct conflict with the First Amendment of the Constitution. A document by the way he has sworn to protect and defend. You can say that we were founded just by Christian. Jewish people go back to colonial time. At the time of the revolution there were thousands of Muslims in America because of slavery. Christianity is not alone in shaping America. I am a believer in religious freedom or the right to not be forced to believe what other people believe. If you truly believe in the First Amendment then the abortion issue should be over. It is clearly a religious issue and it has no place in our laws and government. The fact that a group of Bishops thought they had a right to censure our President shows you the problem that religion is becoming in our government.

The right to free speech is also part of the First Amendment. It states that Congress will not prohibit the freedom of speech. I will go as far to say that I would interpret that to mean our government. That does not mean you have free speech where ever you go. Businesses are not subject to the First amendment. Let’s take Twitter for example. When you sign up for a Twitter account you have to say that you will abide by their rules on conduct. If you violate those rules on conduct they have the right to punish you with the way that is consistent with the rules that you agreed to. Punishing you for violating rules that you agreed to is not violating your free speech. If you didn’t like their rules you should have not opened an account, that simple. You are free to stand on any corner shouting your protests so you still do have your free speech. Your free speech does not mean that you can scream fire in a crowded movie theater with the intention is causing a panic. Unfortunately, freedom of speech does not mean you have to tell the truth and we are see a lot of lying today. In fact. I think that we are seeing more lying now than at any point in our history. The lying and misinformation mostly from the right has killed people and have made us weaker in the eyes of the world and have made our enemies like Russia look stronger in the eyes of the world.

The First Amendment also guarantees a free press. The press is supposed to be our watchdog and keep the people informed of the dealing of our government. They use to be better at that than what they are now. The press should be like our courts. Not right leaning and not left leaning but always searching for the truth. When the truth is suppressed and contorted by the press the people are the one that will suffer in the end. I look at Fox News and I see a prime example of what is wrong with the news. Fox News changed everything. We went from news to conservative news and liberal news to whatever. Now we have competing news for the same story and that story is getting twisted in an effort for viewership. News reporting use to be thought of a nonprofit responsibility of the networks and now it is trying to be a cash cow. Greed will never help us in the search for the truth.

The First Amendment also guaranteed us the right to peaceably protest. I have heard it stated that because a curfew was in effect in Kenosha everyone one of the protester should not have been there. I see it a little differently. Every one of those protestors had a right be there and an order from a mayor does not take away their First Amendment rights. Do people have the right to riot? Of course not, so go ahead and arrest those. Do people have a right to loot? Of course not, so go ahead and arrest those. Do people have the right to protest peacefully? YES! The Constitution guaranties it. Every police officer took an oath to protect and defend that Constitution. Any non violent protestor that is attacked by a police officer should be able to pursue justice. Any police officer that has violated anyone Constitutional right has just broken his Oath of Office and should be dealt with appropriately. Either that document means something or our Democracy will die.

 

First Amendment

First Amendment Annotated

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.